I 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


I 


THE 


KUSSIAN  EEFUGEE 


Sale  at  tte  'Sine 


BT 

HENRY  E.  WILSON 


Fiction  is  properly  but  gauze  drapery  through  which  the  lineaments  of  the  real 
figure  may  be  detected. 

"Pygmies  are  pygmies  still,  though  perched  on  Alps; 
And  pyramids  are  pyramids  in  vales. 
Each  man  makes  his  own  stature,  builds  himself: 
Virtue  alone  outbuilds  the  Pyramids; 
Her  monuments  shall  last  when  Egypt's  fall." 

—Night  Thoughts 


NEW  YORK 

THOMAS    B.   KNOX    &    CO. 

SUCCESSORS  TO  JAMES  MILLER 
817  BROADWAY 

1887 


COPTEIGHT,  1887,  BY 

THOMAS  R.  KNOX   &  CO. 


[All  rights  reserved] 


PS 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 
ELSIE,  ........      1 

CHAPTER  II. 
"THE  GIRAFFE,"   .......    13 

CHAPTER  III. 
THE  MYSTERY,       .  .  .  .  .  .  .29 

CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  CITY  FOLKS,    .  .  .  .  .  .  .34 

CHAPTER  V. 
A  NEW  WORLD,      .  .  .  .  .  .  .40 

CHAPTER  VI. 
THE  "  SCARECROW,"  AND  HIS  DARK  LANTERN,  .  .    54 

CHAPTER  VII. 
' '  OH  !  BRAVE  NEW  WORLD,  THAT  HAS  SUCH  PEOPLE  IN'T,"    .    65 

CHAPTER  VIH. 
SUNSHINE  AGAIN,  .  .  .  .  .  .  .77 

CHAPTER  IX. 
A  CONUNDRUM,      .  .  .  .  .  .  .88 


894445 


CONTENTS. 
CHAPTER  X. 


A  NEW  FACE,        . 


CHAPTER  XI. 
A  WARM  EXPERIENCE,      .  .  •  •  •  108 

CHAPTER  XII. 

SUBTERRANEAN  HISTORY,  .          •  •  12° 

CHAPTER  Xin. 
UNWELCOME  VISITORS,     .  ...  137 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
TRANS-ATLANTIC  VISITORS,          .  .  •  •  -152 

CHAPTER  XV. 

FACE  TO  FACE  AT  LAST,    .  ...  164 

CHAPTER  XVL 
"  A  MAN'S  A  MAN  FOR  A'  THAT,"  .  .  .  .194 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

* 

I  HOPE  I  DON'T  INTRUDE,          .  .  .  .  .  214 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 
PLAYING  WITH  FIRE,        .  .  .  -        .  .  229 

CHAPTER  XIX. 
A  PASSAGE  AT  ARMS,         .  .  .  .  .  .236 


CONTENTS.  V 

CHAPTER  XX. 

PAGE 

A  CRISIS,     .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .261 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

THE  RED  CIRCLE,  .  .  .  .  -  279 

CHAPTER  XXII. 
ENGAGED,   ...  ....  294 

CHAPTER  XXHI. 
A  THUNDER-CLOUD,  .  ....  299 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 
A  BIT  OF  BLUE  SKY,          .  .  .  .  .  .304 

CHAPTER  XXV. 
BURYING  THE  HATCHET,   ......  309 

CHAPTER  XXVL 
WEDDING  BELLS,   .......  320 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 
THE  "  GREAT  BOOTY  "  MINE,       .....  330 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 
SOLVING  PROBLEMS,         ......  336 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 
THE  TRIAL,  .......  345 


CONTENTS. 
CHAPTER  XXX. 


IN  DEEP  WATERS, 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 
AN  ORDEAL,  .  ..          ..          ..          •  •  •  375 

CHAPTER  XXXIL 
A  FRIEND  IN  NEED,          ....  ...  :,      .  386 

CHAPTER  XXXIIL 
A  NOCTURNAL  SURPRISE,  .....  405 

CHAPTER  XXXTV. 
UNMASKING,  ......  .  418 

CHAPTER  XXXV. 

"  WOES  CLUSTER  ;  RARE  ARE  SOLITARY  WOES,"      •  •*  .  429 

CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

NEMESIS,     .  .          „          .  .  .  .,          .  442 

CHAPTER  XXXVIL 

OCCULT  THERAPEUTICS,    .  .  .  ...  450 

CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 
THE  AVENGER,      .......  462 

CHAPTER  XXXIX. 
THE  WAY  OF  THE  TRANSGRESSOR,          ....  469 


CONTENTS.  Vll 


CHAPTER  XL. 

PAGE 

REVELATIONS,        .......  473 


CHAPTER  XLI. 

A  NEW  PATIENT,   .  .  .  .  .  .  .480 

CHAPTER  XLII. 
THE  HEALING  POWER,       .  .  .  .  .  .491 

CHAPTER  XLIII. 
A  NEW  DEPARTURE,         .  .  .  .  .  505 

CHAPTER  XLIV. 
A  HALF  CONFESSION,         ......  519 

CHAPTER  XLV. 
HOPE  DEFERRED,  ......  527 

CHAPTER  XLVI. 
To  SOLVE  A  PROBLEM,      ...  .  543 

CHAPTER  XLVII. 
CIVILIZED  AND  SAVAGE,    .  .  .  .  .          .551 

CHAPTER  XLVIII. 
PERILS  BY  THE  WAY,        ....'.  560 

CHAPTER  XLIX. 
HOME  AGAIN,        .  .  .  .  .  .  .571 


yiil  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  L. 

PAGE 

SUNSET  GLORIES,  .  ...          .          .          .  .  575 

CHAPTER  LI. 
THE  FINAL  TESTAMENT,  .  .  .  ,  '  •      .  .584 

CHAPTER   LIL 
"LIKE  A  PALE  MARTYR  IN  His  SHIRT  OF  FIRE,"     .  .  590 

CHAPTER  LIIL 
HEART  LANGUAGE,  .         '."".'       .  .  .  597 

CHAPTER  LIV. 
DAY-LIGHT  COMES  AND  THE  SHADOWS  FLY,     .  .  .  600 


THE    RUSSIAN    REFUGEE. 


CHAPTER  I. 

ELSIE. 

MB.  HASTINGS'  home,  Hermitage,  was  about  two  miles 
from  the  pretty  little  town  of  Melville,  and  a  very  charming 
spot  it  was.  The  name  dated  back  over  half  a  century, 
and  was  given  because  of  a  solitary  who  once  lived  there. 
"A  strange  being  he  must  have  been,  according  to  all  ac- 
counts," said  the  present  proprietor  to  a  friend,  "and  a 
man  of  considerable  original  power,  I  should  judge,  by  the 
impression  he  has  left  on  this  neighborhood.  He  resided 
here  many  years,  having  purchased  the  place  when  it  was 
almost  entirely  virgin  forest,  and  by  skill  and  industry, 
aided  by  liberal  capital,  gradually  developed  a  handsome 
estate.  This  house  was  erected  by  him,  and  was  a  marvel 
of  comfort  and  elegance  for  those  times.  But  becoming 
discontented,  it  is  supposed,  at  the  encroaching  civiliza- 
tion, he  suddenly  disappeared,  having  quietly  disposed  of 
the  property,  which,  after  changing  owners  once  or  twice, 
fell  into  my  hands.  The  hermit  was  reputed  to  be  a 
wealthy  Eussian.  Money  he  always  had  in  abundance,  so 
the  early  neighbors  said,  and  indeed  the  mansion  of  stone 
and  the  solid  wall  inclosing  the  spacious  lawn  seemed  to 
prove  this.  However,  he  was  not  actually  a  hermit,  al- 
though called  so,  for  he  had  two  companions.  One  was 
an  old  servant,  who  occupied  a  small  cottage  some  short 


2  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

distance  from  the  house,  and  went  to  and  fro,  forming 
tha  medium  with  the  outer  world,  and  the  other  a  lad  of  a 
few  years,  reputed  to  be  the  proprietor's  son.  About  one 
hundred  and  forty  acres  belonged  to  the  estate,  which  was 
untilled,  with  the  exception  of  a  garden  in  front  of  the 
house  well  filled  with  native  and  foreign  plants.  In  this 
garden  the  misanthropist  spent  much  of  his  time,  and  the 
superstition  of  the  curious  soon  spread  reports  that  these 
plants  were  used  for  unholy  purposes.  Indeed,  the  hermit 
was  both  shunned  and  feared  by  the  scattered  denizens  of 
the  vicinity,  the  very  thing  which,  no  doubt,  he  desired. 
These  are,  in  short,  what  items  I  have  succeeded  in  gather- 
ing of  this  singular  predecessor  of  mine,  although  I  have 
spent  both  time  and  money  in  trying  to  ferret  out  his  his- 
tory. Some  of  the  good  people  round  about  profess  to  be- 
lieve that  the  old  fellow  is  living  yet,  or,  at  least,  has  the 
power  to  appear  now  and  then  for  his  own  diversion  and 
the  terror  of  the  beholders." 

"  O  papa !  he  couldn't  be  living  yet,  surely,  for  it  is 
said  to  be  seventy  years,  at  least,  since  he  disappeared,  and 
the  local  tradition  says  he  was  an  old  man  at  that  time," 
remarked  Elsie  Hastings,  the  only  child  of  the  proprietor. 

"  Which  would  make  the  worthy  hermit  a  pretty  ripe 
age — one  hundred  and  forty  or  thereabouts,"  laughed  the 
guest,  Mr.  St.  Johns. 

"  Old  Chloe  says  she  saw  him  when  she  was  a  girl,  and 
that  he  looked  quite  ancient,"  continued  the  daughter. 

"And  if  you  add  seventy  years  to  an  ancient,"  said  her 
father,  regarding  her  fondly,  "  what  will  be  the  result  ?  " 

"  A  fossil,  papa,  of  course  ;  and,  like  most  fossils,  only  to 
be  found  in  the  earth,  buried  out  of  sight,"  responded  the 
young  lady,  promptly. 

Very  bright  and  cheery  looked  Elsie  this  morning,  as 
she  stood  beside  her  parent.  The  flush  and  sparkle  of 
girlhood  had  just  given  way  to  the  beauty  and  power 


THE  EUSSIAN  KEFUGEE.  3 

of  womanhood.  She  was  a  brunette,  fully  developed, 
with  well-rounded,  rather  muscular  figure,  slightly  above 
the  medium  height,  a  self-reliant,  healthy,  vigorous,  hand- 
some woman.  Brought  up  in  this  suburban  retreat,  un- 
trammelled and  unchecked,  only  lovingly  guided,  she  had 
developed  a  degree  of  health  and  strength  which  was  de- 
lightful to  see.  Nor  had  her  mind  been  neglected,  for  her 
fond  parent  had  been  largely  her  tutor,  and  carefully  laid 
a  solid  basis  of  useful  knowledge,  which  she  had  ably 
supplemented  by  judicious  reading  in  the  well-stocked 
library. 

"  I  gave  my  Elsie  the  run  of  the  library,  knowing  well 
that  there  was  no  book  there  which  could  injure  her,"  said 
the  gentleman,  in  reply  to  a  question  from  his  guest.  "  I 
did  not  feel  justified  in  making  my  mind  a  criterion  for 
hers.  Different  people  require  different  mental  aliment. 
Turn  a  cow,  horse,  goat,  and  sheep  into  a  common  pasture, 
and  each  will  select  just  such  plants  as  are  adapted  to  its 
needs.  Certain  plants  will  be  eaten  by  all,  though  not  in 
the  same  proportions.  But  you  will  find  that  the  cow  will 
eat  some  plants  which  the  others  will  not  touch,  and  so  on 
of  the  horse,  goat,  and  sheep.  So  in  a  way,  different  indi- 
viduals of  our  species  need  different  intellectual  food,  and 
from  books,  lectures,  conversations,  etc.,  will,  if  healthily 
developed,  take  just  what  they  require." 

"  O  father !  Cousin  Warren  has  had  quite  an  adven- 
ture," exclaimed  the  daughter,  who  had  been  summoned 
from  the  room,  re-entering  the  library,  where  the  two 
gentlemen  sat  engaged  in  conversation  after  breakfast, 
"and  has  had  a  pretty  narrow  escape  of  his  life,  too,  I 
should  think,"  handing  her  father  an  open  letter. 

"  Indeed  ?  I  thought  Warren  could  take  pretty  good 
care  of  himself ;  but,  if  Mr.  St.  Johns  will  permit,  I  will 
glance  over  the  letter  while  you  show  him  those  shells  I 
brought  you  last  week." 


4  THE   RUSSIAN    REFUGEE. 

"  Just  what  I  should  like,"  responded  the  guest,  spring- 
ing up. 

"I  will  join  you  in  a  moment,"  said  Mr.  Hastings,  as 
they  disappeared. 

The  letter  referred  to  was  about  four  pages  long,  written 
from  London,  and  giving  the  details  of  an  adventure  at 
a  suburban  villa.  He  claimed  to  be  very  busy  in  his 
medical  work  and  sight-seeing,  and  probably  would  not 
return  to  America  for  some  months.  The  letter  concluded 
with  a  postscript : 

"  Now,  dear  coz,  take  care  of  yourself  and  of  my  uncle, 
for  he  is  one  among  a  thousand,  in  spite  of  his  peculiar 
notions  of  educating  young  ladies.  W.  S." 

"  Well,"  remarked  Mr.  Hastings,  on  joining  his  daughter 
and  guest  a  few  moments  later,  "I  imagine  Warren  has 
some  comical  ideas  of  my  peculiar  notions,  as  he  auda- 
ciously terms  them ;  but  he  is  a  good  fellow,  and  I  shall  be 
glad  to  see  him  back." 

"  Why,  father,  Mr.  St.  Johns  says  he  knows  Cousin  War- 
ren." 

"Yes,  I  met  him  in  the  White  Mountains  two  or  three 
summers  ago,  and  found  him  a  capital  companion.  I  shall 
be  glad  to  meet  him  again,"  said  the  guest. 

A  servant  came  to  announce  that  the  horses  were  at  the 
door,  for  the  party  to  take  a  ride  to  a  somewhat  famous 
mountain  gorge,  a  few  miles  distant,  which  was  a  favorite 
visiting  resort  for  strangers.  Mi1,  and  Miss  Hastings  were 
capital  riders,  and  the  visitor  thought  he  could  manage  to 
keep  up,  and  so  saddle-horses  were  chosen  in  preference  to 
a  carriage. 

There  are  few  modes  of  locomotion  so  exhilarating  as  rid- 
ing, if  one  has  a  firm  seat  and  hand.  You  are  a  Centaur 
for  the  time  being,  and  partake  of  the  strength  and  speed  of 
the  animal  you  ride.  Elsie  gloried  in  it,  and  on  this  fine  No- 
vember morning  hsr  face  glowed  with  excitement  as  they 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  5 

cantered  along.  "  Let  sentimentalists  say  what  they  please, 
there  is  no  true  beauty  without  physical  health.  Indeed 
that  is  beauty,  and  there  is  no  other,  so  far  as  the  body  is 
concerned,"  said  St.  Johns,  as  Elsie  dashed  -on  ahead,  just 
to  try  her  horse's  mettle,  as  she  said. 

"  That  has  been  my  view  in  training  my  girl,"  returned 
her  father,  "  she  has  grown  up  as  unfettered  as  a  boy,  and 
knows  nothing  of  the  small  waists,  languid  air,  pale  com- 
plexion, and  mincing,  slow  step  of  fashionable  life." 

"  I  wish  I  could  say  as  much  for  my  two  daughters," 
said  his  companion,  "  but  it  is  so  different  bringing  up  a 
family  in  a  city." 

"  True  ;  the  women  so  often,  even  with  the  best  inten- 
tions, fall,  ere  they  are  aware,  into  the  maelstrom  of  fashion, 
and  with  their  children  become  mere  waifs  floating  on  the 
whirling  waters  of  bad  physical  habits,  which  almost  inevit- 
ably result  in  life-long  invalidism." 

The  city  man  sighed  as  he  answered  :  "I  suppose  mine 
are  no  worse  than  the  majority,  but  it  sometimes  seems  to 
me  that  there  is  nothing  natural  about  them.  Artificiality 
is  everywhere.  I  struggled  against  it  as  long  as  I  could, 
but  a  business  man,  away  all  day,  and  only  home  with  his 
family  evenings  and  Sundays,  can  do  but  little." 

"  Well,  well,  their  natural  good  sense  may  make  it  all 
right  yet  "  rejoined  his  friend,  knowing  that  this  was  a  sore 
point  with  him. 

Mr.  St.  Johns  was  a  lawyer  in  a  distant  city,  who  had 
after  entering  practice  married  a  dashing  fashionable  girl, 
the  child  of  a  prominent  merchant.  They  had  three  chil- 
dren, two  girls  and  a  boy.  The  latter  was  of  age,  and  had 
lately  graduated  at  Harvard.  And  fine-looking  young 
people  they  were,  but  devoted  slaves  to  all  the  foibles  of 
the  world  of  gaiety  and  fashion.  The  mother  was  still  veiy 
attractive  and  much  attached  to  her  husband  and  family, 
but  a  bond  servant  to  Madam  Grundy. 


6  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

If  that  autocrat  had  decreed  that  the  headdress  should  be 
four  feet  high,  Mrs.  St.  Johns,  with  a  feeble  inward  remon- 
strance from  her  common  sense,  which  still  lived,  but  in  an 
unhealthy  condition  from  want  of  exercise,  would  have  sent 
at  once  for  the  coiffure  artist,  and  given  orders  for  self  and 
daughters.  "If  you  think  that  three  feet  eleven  inches 
and  a  half  will  do,  mademoiselle,  why  that  will  answer,  I 
leave  it  entirely  to  your  judgment.  But  do  not  let  us  be 
outr6."  Should  the  artist  unwittingly  reply  that  she 
thought  they  might  venture  to  make  a  half  inch  concession 
without  danger  of  incurring  social  ostracism,  yet  long  ex- 
perience had  taught  her  that  such  decision  would  be  by  no 
means  final.  For  in  all  probability  the  stately  footman  from 
the  St.  Johns  mansion  would  come  an  hour  or  so  later  with 
a  pretty  little  scented  note  from  madame  saying,  "  Dear 
Mademoiselle,  on  mature  thought  I  have  concluded  to  have 
our  coiffures  en  r6gle.  L.  ST.  J." 

Those  artful  and  ingenious  people,  the  milliners,  dress- 
makers, and  tailors,  those  rulers  in  the  kingdom  of  cloth, 
those  members  of  the  costume  aristocracy,  how  they  must 
laugh  at  the  foibles  and  weaknesses  of  those  who  daily 
crowd  and  throng  their  audience  chambers.  Call  them 
servants,  dependents,  etc.  ?  What  nonsense  !  Fashion  is 
queen,  and  these  experts  are  the  Grand  Chamberlains  and 
Ladies  of  Honor,  to  whom  all  must  sue  and  pay  court,  who 
hope  for  favors  from  the  sovereign.  The  ladies  of  the  St. 
Johns  family  yielded  implicitly  to  her  will,  never  question- 
ing her  wisdom.  More  habit  this,  perhaps,  than  deficiency 
in  reasoning  power.  But  how  much  easier  it  is,  and  how 
much  more  smoothly  will  life  glide,  if  we  can  permit  others 
to  do  our  thinking  for  us.  To  reason,  to  assert  one's  indi- 
viduality requires  effort  and  expenditure  of  force,  and  by 
avoiding  unnecessary  thought  we  conserve  this  force,  and 
so  retain  a  large  surplus  of  vitality  for  more  congenial  use. 

The  ride  to  the  "Big  Eavine,"  the  popular  name,  was  a 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  7 

treat  in  every  sense,  and  most  thoroughly  enjoyed  by  the 
guest.  The  Big  Ravine  was,  as  said  before,  an  immense 
gorge,  cut  or  ploughed  through  the  mountain  chain,  which 
skirted  the  landscape  here.  Wonderfully  grand  and  pictur- 
esque this  deep  dark  chasm  showed  from  the  point  where 
they  stood.  Hundreds  of  feet  deep,  the  eye  wandered, 
down,  down,  finding  no  bottom.  Naught  but  profundity, 
and  tree-tops,  and  gloom !  The  horses  were  tied  to  trees 
in  a  grove  near  by,  and  the  party  proceeded  on  foot  to  ex- 
plore the  vicinity.  Elsie  was  more  familiar  with  the  locality 
than  the  gentlemen,  and  so,  by  tacit  consent  led  the  way, 
and  a  pretty  wild  way  it  was,  tangled  and  overgrown  by 
brambles  and  brushwood.  The  path  led  continuously 
downward  for  about  half  a  mile  and  then  turned  upward  for 
a  hundred  or  so  feet  to  a  sort  of  natural  bridge  leading 
across  a  small  canon  which  entered  the  Big  Ravine.  This 
natural  bridge  was  worth,  as  the  guest  enthusiastically 
said,  "  walking  a  thousand  miles  to  see."  In  the  volcanic 
action  which  disrupted  the  mountain  and  formed  the  gorge, 
enormous  fragments  of  rock  had  been  hurled  from  below, 
and  three  of  them  in  descending  had  fallen  immediately 
over  this  seam  or  fissure  and  become  immovably  wedged 
together,  the  centre  fragment  forming  the  key-stone  of  the 
arch.  It  was  now  densely  covered  with  mosses  and  creep- 
ing plants.  Standing  on  the  middle  of  the  bridge  the  eye 
could  explore  to  some  extent  the  Big  Ravine  and  catch  the 
white  sheen  of  tossing  water  as  it  reflected  the  few  wander- 
ing sunbeams  which  penetrated  its  otherwise  inscrutable 
gloom. 

" '  There  is  a  path  which  no  fowl  knoweth,  and  which  the 
vulture's  eye  hath  not  seen,'"  quoted  Mr.  Hastings,  "and 
certainly  this  is  the  place." 

Being  a  little  uneasy  about  the  horses,  as  one  or  two 
tramps  had  been  passed  on  the  road,  evidently  bound  for  the 
Ravine,  the  two  gentlemen  decided  to  return  to  the  clump  of 


8  THE  RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

trees  where  the  animals  were,  and  await  the  arrival  of  Elsie, 
who  desired  to  explore  the  opposite  side  of  the  chasm  for 
ferns  and  leaves,  of  which  she  was  making  a  collection. 
Springing  forward  she  began  ascending  the  great  bowlder 
which  lay  just  beyond  the  bridge  on  the  other  side,  and 
over  which  the  path  lay.  This  bowlder  seemed  to  belong 
to  the  same  group  which  constituted  the  bridge,  bxit  having 
been  hindered  in  some  way  had  come  to  a  halt  before 
reaching  the  canon.  Being  some  twenty  feet  high  it  tasked 
her  energies  considerably.  But  she  had  the  spring  and 
elastic  step  of  a  mountain  chamois  and  almost  as  much  en- 
durance. At  least  so  thought  the  two  gentlemen  who 
watched  her  as  she  slowly  but  surely  gained  the  dizzy 
summit,  on  which,  lingering  for  a  moment  to  enjoy  the 
view  down  the  great  gorge,  she  waved  her  hand,  and  shout- 
ing, "  Au  revoir,"  speedily  disappeared. 

"Why  she  has  the  courage  of  Zenobia.  I  would  not 
dare  trust  one  of  my  girls  over  there  alone.  Isn't  it  rather 
risky  ?  " 

"  Not  at  all,"  returned  her  father,  "  Elsie  is  as  sure-footed 
as  a  hunter,  and  does  not  know  fear." 

The  young  lady  pursued  her  way,  jumping  and  climbing 
and  clinging  along  the  narrow  goat  path  which  led  from 
the  bridge  and  skirted  the  very  edge  or  brink  of  the  vast 
canon.  The  scene  was  wild,  and  weird,  and  threatening 
enough  to  try  the  nerves  of  any  but  an  accomplished  wood- 
ranger.  But  Elsie  felt  as  much  at  home  as  on  her  father's 
lawn.  Earth  and  sky  seemed  to  smile  on  her  in  unison, 
and  the  mountain  air  tasted  like  nectar.  Vigorous  health 
and  the  splendid  confidence  of  youth,  touched  everything 
she  gazed  at  as  with  magic  wand,  making  rock,  tree,  plant, 
even  the  dark  gorge  itself,  glow  and  sparkle  and  scintillate 
in  the  dancing  rays  of  the  autumn  sun. 

"I  feel  this  morning  as  if  I  could  fly!"  she  exclaimed, 
quickening  her  pace  to  a  run.  Tossing  her  hat  from  her 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  9 

head  over  the  left  shoulder,  held  by  the  loosely  tied  ribbon 
under  her  chin,  her  right  hand  firmly  clasping  a  mountain 
staff  cut  for  her  by  her  father,  she  dashed  forward.  Her 
abundant  black  hair  giving  outline  to  a  face  of  the  Italian 
type,  her  nut-brown  complexion  and  the  easy  grace  of  her 
movements,  all  seemed  to  mark  her  a  child  of  nature,  sym- 
pathetic with  its  varied  moods  and  rejoicing  in  its  freedom. 
Man's  animal  nature  ought  to  be  as  free  and  bounding  as 
that  of  the  inferior  creatures,  but  civilization,  that  complex 
thing,  seems  to  check,  and  hinder,  and  depress,  and  throw 
obstacles  in  his  path,  and  fetters  around  his  limbs.  Seek- 
ing to  understand  nature,  and  to  pry  into  her  secrets  and 
search  out  her  mysteries,  he  too  often  loses  sight  of  the 
simple  lessons  which  she  would  fain  teach  him — the  pri- 
mary truths  which  the  savage  learns  at  once,  but  which  the 
civilized  man  with  a  strange  mental  obliquity  either  sees 
not,  or  forgets,  or  ignores.  Let  us  go  back  to  the  first 
principles  and  learn  from  the  untutored  man  of  the  forest, 
or  even  from  the  dog,  the  horse,  the  deer,  those  humble 
disciples  of  nature,  that  man  has  enslaved,  but  failed  to 
corrupt.  Let  him  learn  from  them  that  simplicity  in  diet, 
temperance,  exercise,  are  the  conditions  of  sound  sleep, 
vigorous  digestion,  freedom  from  disease,  and  the  capacity 
to  endure.  We  have  levied  on  earth,  air,  water,  for  con- 
tributions to  our  tables,  daily  using  food  in  quality  and 
quantity  that  could  only  be  properly  digested  and  assimi- 
lated under  very  active  conditions  of  physical  exercise  in  the 
open  air.  Yet  we  imagine  half  an  hour's  easy  sauntering  in 
the  twilight  perhaps,  is  exercise,  or  may  be  a  drive  of  a  few 
miles.  "  Yes,  but  I  often  drive  two  hour's  a  day,"  says  one. 
True,  madame,  and  it  does  your  horse  good,  and  that  is 
why  he  looks  so  strong  and  never  complains  of  headache, 
or  the  blues,  or  dyspepsia.  'Why  not  imitate  him  and  take 
some  of  his  medicine — exercise  ?  These  were  the  teachings 
to  which  Elsie  had  listened  through  her  growing  years,  and 


10  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

the  result  had  justified  the  wisdom  of  the  course.  Kegard- 
less  of  the  weather,  daily  vigorous  exercise  in  the  open  air 
was  as  invariable  as  taking  food,  and  she  and  sickness,  in 
the  ordinary  sense,  were  strangers. 

She  was  now  opposite  the  widest  part  of  the  great  canon, 
and  following  a  sharp  path  leading  downward,  arrived  at 
a  point  where  she  could  look  into  and  across  the  awful 
depths  of  the  vast  chasm.  What  a  tiny  creature  is  man 
when  he  faces  material  existence  in  its  massive  forms  and 
gigantic  developments.  This  young  woman,  bright,  active, 
cheery  as  she  ordinarily  was,  now  felt  depressed  and 
quieted  in  presence  of  nature's  grandeur.  She  felt  as  if 
before  the  throne  of  the  Infinite,  with  the  eye  of  the  Eter- 
nal fixed  upon  her.  There  are  moments  of  worship  which 
can  only  come  in  scenes  like  these.  An  atom,  a  speck, 
she  seemed  to  be,  cast  athwart  these  splendid  creations  ; 
not  of  them,  and  yet  partaking  enough  of  the  material  nat- 
ure to  feel  some  degree  of  affinity  with  them.  But  when 
most  awed,  when  the  feeling  of  helplessness  and  weakness, 
before  such  strength  and  power,  and  mightiness,  was  great- 
est, the  thought  came,  "But  after  all,  I  can  feel  awe  and 
wonder  at  them,  and  appreciate,  in  some  faint  way  their, 
majesty,  while  they  regard  me  with  the  stony  gaze  of  mat- 
ter chained  in  the  lethargy  of  unconsciousness.  I  think 
and  feel,  and  can  move  from  place  to  place.  But  ten 
thousand  appalling  catastrophes  might  occur  and  the  same 
calm  indifference  would  reign  supreme  here,  as  ever." 
These  reflections  seemed  to  break  the  chain  which  bound 
her,  and  she  felt  at  once  in  her  whole  being  "  the  majesty 
of  man.' 

Left  motherless  at  an  early  age,  and  thrown  much 
upon  her  own  resources,  she  had  sought  and  found  in 
nature  a  friend,  not  dead,  cold,  and  unresponsive  as  so 
many  find  her,  but  warm,  sympathetic,  loving.  So,  usu- 
ally, inspired  by  happy  associations,  it  was  amid  such 


THE   EUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  11 

scenes  as  these,  that  her  thoughts  flowed  freest ;  but 
yet  she  would  at  times  fall  into  a  sort  of  trance  con- 
dition of  inert  contemplation,  in  which  she  seemed  merged 
in  creation,  and  a  part  of  it,  all  individuality  apparently 
lost.  Then  when  her  personality  came  back  to  her  she 
would  sometimes  experience  a  revulsion  as  in  the  present 
instance,  and  become  not  a  mere  votary  at  the  temple  altar, 
but  the  goddess  within  the  shrine  ;  not  a  mere  intimate  in 
the  mansion,  but  the  mistress  herself.  Kapidly  continu- 
ing her  ramble  she  arrived  at  a  platform  of  rock  which 
jutted  out  into  the  gorge,  forming  an  abrupt  break  in  the 
continuity  of  the  cliff  margin.  From  this  point  the  ravine 
receded  sharply  and  widened  considerably,  as  a  gulf  will 
before  joining  the  ocean.  This  was  a  coigne  of  vantage 
which  gave  the  sweep  of  the  canon  and  the  broad  valley  in 
the  distance,  above  and  beyond  the  vast  granite  rampart 
which  formed  the  upper  end  of  the  ravine. 

"  Oh,  I  could  live  here  forever,"  she  exclaimed,  as  she 
seated  herself  on  the  edge  of  the  flat  rock  and  peered  down 
into  the  obscurity  below.  "  But  my  time  has  about  ex- 
pired and  I  must  be  returning,"  she  said  vexatiously,  glanc- 
ing at  the  tiny  watch,  her  treasured  memento  of  "mother," 
which  she  carried  at  her  girdle.  "  But  I  must  have  some 
of  those  wonderful  leaves  down  there."  The  leaves  in 
question  were  some  of  unusual  brilliancy,  painted  in  mar- 
vellous tints  by  the  brush  of  the  artist  specially  commis- 
sioned to  spangle  and  adorn  the  autumn  woods.  The 
forests  and  glades  had  clung  tenaciously  to  their  green 
robes  this  year,  but  were  now  beginning  to  flame  and  glow 
in  every  direction,  and  the  leaves,  too,  were  falling  by 
myriads,  as  if  modestly  to  hide  their  gay  colors.  The 
coveted  treasures  which  Elsie  spoke  of  were  on  a  tree  grow- 
ing about  fifty  feet  below,  and  springing  obliquely  from  the 
side  of  the  declivity.  Letting  herself  down  by  some  tena- 
cious vines  which  grew  over  and  around  the  rocky  plat- 


12  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

form  on  which  she  stood,  the  daring  girl,  with  the  nimble- 
ness  and  agility  of  a  panther,  succeeded  in  reaching  the  de- 
sired objects.  Plucking  the  choicest  and  most  rarely  tinted 
ones,  she  placed  them  in  her  bosom  and  prepared  to  regain 
her  former  position.  Easy  to  think  of,  but  by  no  means 
easy  of  execution,  she  soon  discovered,  when,  after  repeated 
fruitless  attempts,  she  found  herself  farther  down,  instead  of 
up,  the  precipitous  side  of  the  ravine.  Finally,  making  a 
desperate  effort,  she  sprang  upward,  and  reached,  by  the 
aid  of  the  clinging  vines,  a  rocky  ledge,  or  rather  bowlder, 
bedded  in  the  side  of  the  cliff.  Taking  breath  preparatory 
to  further  effort,  for  she  realized  she  was  in  rather  a  peril- 
ous position,  and  besides  feeling  naturally  anxious  to  re- 
join her  father  and  guest  in  good  time,  she  rested  for  a 
moment.  Suddenly  the  landscape,  as  she  swept  her  gaze 
around,  seemed  to  be  moving!  What  was  the  matter? 
She  glanced  quickly  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  chasm  and 
it  seemed  to  be  rising  up  in  the  air.  The  thought  flashed 
on  her,  "the  ground  is  settling  beneath  me."  Quicker 
and  quicker — tree,  bowlder,  and  passenger — the  earth  for 
several  yards  round  slid  down  the  surface  of  the  rock. 
Down,  down,  they  went,  hindered  somewhat  by  opposing 
shrubs  and  small  trees.  A  land-slide — a  small  one  to  be 
sure,  but  yet  carrying  a  great  mass  of  earth  with  it,  and 
the  girl  clinging  wildly  to  the  tree  whose  bright  leaves  had 
lured  her  down  there,  and  which  somehow  kept  its  balance. 
A  sudden  crashing  of  tree-tops,  and  her  queer  vehicle  came 
to  a  halt  with  a  shock  which  dashed  her  violently  down, 
and  in  an  instant  the  world  for  her  was  collapsed. 


CHAPTER  H. 

"THE  GIRAFFE." 

MK.  HASTINGS  and  his  friend  waited  patiently  for  the 
return  of  the  youngest  member  of  the  party,  for  about  two 
hours.  It  was  then  suggested  by  the  host  that  they  should 
mount  and  ride  along  the  road  skirting  the  Great  Gorge, 
so  as  to  enable  St.  Johns  to  form  a  somewhat  clearer  idea  of 
the  majestic  ravine.  "  Elsie  may  return  in  the  meantime, 
but  she  will  wait  for  us,  as  I  shall  pin  this  little  note  on  her 
saddle-cloth,  telling  her  we  shall  soon  be  back." 

"  But  surely  it  is  time  she  was  here  now.  I  fear  some- 
thing has  happened  to  her,"  said  the  guest,  anxiously. 

The  father  smiled,  and  answered,  "  The  time  for  feeling 
anxiety  for  her  has  long  gone  by.  I  have  the  most  implicit 
confidence  in  her  skill  and  prudence.  She  has  wandered 
farther  than  she  expected,  not  finding  what  she  wanted 
readily.  She  will  certainly  be  here  soon." 

Nevertheless,  Mr.  St.  Johns  was  certain  he  detected  a 
shade  of  anxiety  in  the  voice  and  manner  of  his  friend,  and  the 
glance  he  occasionally  cast  in  the  direction  the  daughter  had 
gone.  After  a  couple  of  miles'  canter  the  equestrians  reined 
in  their  steeds  at  a  point  where  the  road  curved  almost  at  the 
very  edge  of  a  stupendous  precipice,  where  the  more  or  less 
dense  foliage  and  shrubbery  which  had  hitherto  obscured 
the  view  broke  away  abruptly,  and  left  open  to  them  a  secure 
almost  unrivalled  in  extent  and  grandeur.  The  sky  was 
light  blue,  flecked  with  fleecy  clouds,  and  the  sun  shone 
brightly,  giving  that  peculiar  white  light  and  brilliancy, 


14  THE  RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

with  but  little  heat,  which  is  so  often  noticed  in  the  late 
fall.  A  quiet,  as  of  the  eternal,  seemed  to  fall  upon  and 
enshroud  them,  as  they  concentrated  their  very  beings  in 
vision,  and  drank  in  the  scene.  The  horses  were  still,  as  if 
cut  in  stone,  and  seemed  to  realize  the  occasion.  At  last 
their  reverie  was  broken  by  the  swoop  of  an  eagle  which 
crossed  their  vision  and  soared  up — up — up — taking  their 
gaze  with  it. 

"That  is  ideal  life,"  said  Mr.  Hastings — "the  life  of  a 
free,  strong  creature  like  that.  Our  existence  seems  tame 
beside  it.  It  seems  to  me,  when  I  gaze  at  a  panorama  like 
this,  that  I  would  give  years  of  my  human  life  to  be  for  a 
few  hours  a  creature  like  that  bird,  to  swoop  through  this 
vast  concavity,  over  and  into  and  round  this  mighty  gorge, 
viewing  it  from  a  hundred  standpoints,  and,  as  it  were, 
grasping  the  scene  in  its  entirety.  The  birds'  life  must  be 
the  grandest  in  the  world." 

"I  question  if  yon  creature  appreciates,  in  his  quick, 
changing  series  of  views,  and  his  thousand  glimpses  of  this 
scene,  anything  like  as  much  as  we  do  from  our  present 
fixed  point,"  was  the  answer  of  his  companion. 

"  Possibly  not,  for  our  imagination  gives  us  larger  and 
more  varied  flight  than  he  has,  and  man  only  seems  able 
to  understand  nature.  However,  let  us  return,  for  my 
daughter  must  be  at  the  try  sting-place  by  this  time." 

On  reaching  the  grove,  Mr.  Hastings  said  nervously  as 
they  dismounted,  "  We  have  been  gone  an  hour  and  she 
has  not  returned.  Can  it  be  possible  that  she  has  lost  her 
way,  or  met  with  any  mishap  ?  " 

"  Let  us  by  all  means  follow  her,"  said  Mr.  St.  Johns. 

"  Oh  no,  I  would  not  think  of  tiring  you  ;  just  remain 
here,  and  I  will  walk  rapidly  in  the  direction  she  has  taken, 
and  may  shortly  meet  her.  Occasionally  she  is  unconscious 
of  the  lapse  of  time,  when  after  favorite  flowers." 

But  St.  Johns  insisting,  the  two  gentlemen  proceeded  to 


THE  RUSSIAN  EEFUGEE.  15 

the  natural  bridge,  crossed  it  as  rapidly  as  they  could,  and 
turned  into  the  path  which  Elsie  had  actually  taken. 

"  I  am  not  so  familiar  with  this  range  as  Elsie  ;  but  yet 
know  it  pretty  well,  and  there  is  a  favorite  view  of  hers 
about  two  miles  from  the  bridge,  called  by  the  country 
folks  the  '  Devil's  Bock/  because  it  presents  the  wildest  and 
most  appalling  view  of  the  gorge." 

"  And  possibly  she  has  met  with  some  trifling  accident 
which  detains  her  there,"  returned  his  friend,  cheerfully, 
more  to  allay  the  rapidly  increasing  anxiety  of  his  host 
than  from  any  confidence  he  felt  in  his  own  suggestion. 
In  truth  when  he  caught  occasional  glimpses  of  the  vast 
gulf,  hundreds  of  feet  below  them,  his  heart  stood  still  in 
thinking  of  the  possible  awful  fate  of  that  bright  young 
life  that  had  parted  from  them  so  hopefully  a  few  hours 
before.  For  St.  Johns  was  rather  a  timid  man,  and  had  an 
idea  that  women,  especially  young  women,  were  like  deli- 
cate chinaware,  only  to  be  entrusted  to  the  most  careful 
hands.  The  personal  independence  of  Elsie  Hastings  was 
a  thing  so  foreign  to  his  mode  of  thinking  and  experi- 
ence that  it  gave  him  a  sort  of  nervous  shock,  much  as,  in 
another  sense,  he  admired  it.  Reaching  the  rock  from 
which  Elsie  had  made  her  unlucky  descent  to  procure  the 
leaves,  they  soon  decided  that  she  had  been  there,  for  a 
parcel  of  ferns  and  leaves  lay  where  she  had  deposited 
them  on  first  reaching  this  point.  This  somewhat  reas- 
sured Mr.  Hastings,  while  it  increased  the  anxiety  and  alarm 
of  his  companion. 

"  My  daughter  is  courageous  but  not  rash,  and  at  the 
worst,  I  suspect  she  may  have  sprained  her  ankle,  and  so 
been  detained.  If  we  do  not  shortly  find  traces  of  her  I 
shall  conclude  that  something  of  that  kind  has  happened, 
and  being  unable  to  return  to  us  she  has  managed  to  find 
some  means  of  reaching  home  by  the  wagon  road,  which 
winds  round  the  upper  head  of  the  ravine." 


16  THE   RUSSIAN    REFUGEE. 

"  Mr.  Hastings,  your  coolness,  allow  me  to  say,  astonishes 
me  ;  you  are  a  paradox.  If  it  was  one  of  my  girls,  or  even 
my  boy,  I  should  be  wild  with  anxiety,  while  you  seem  to 
regard  the  disappearance  of  the  dearest  being  to  you  in  the 
world,  with  coolness  and  philosophy." 

"  My  dear  fellow,  if  I  supposed  there  was  any  real  danger, 
do  you  think  I  could  be  calm  ?  But  this  is  by  no  means  the 
first  time  the  young  lady  has  disappeared  and  failed  to  keep 
her  appointments." 

"But  would  she  not  first  send  a  messenger  to  allay  your 
anxiety  before  starting  for  home,  supposing  she  was  so  for- 
tunate as  to  meet  a  conveyance  to  take  her  ?  " 

"  Certainly  ;  but  travellers  along  the  upper  road  are  rare, 
and  it  would  be  as  easy  to  notify  us  from  the  head  of  the 
glen  as  by  the  way  we  have  reached  here.  Her  first  thought 
would  be  for  us,  and  so  I  can  only  suppose  she  failed  to  find 
a  messenger  and  counted  on  sending  one  from  the  house,  if 
not  before." 

Exploration  in  every  direction  from  the  rock  failed  to 
find  any  further  traces  of  the  missing  one,  and  then  the 
friend  suggested  that  she  might  have  gone  down  the  face 
of  the  cliff  to  secure  some  curiosity,  and  not  be  able  to  re- 
turn. Acting  on  this  thought  the  gentlemen  shouted  her 
name  until  a  thousand  echoes  answered  from  all  parts  of 
the  ravine,  but  no  other  response. 

"  I  dare  not  suppose  she  would  be  so  rash  as  to  venture 
down  there  under  any  pretext  or  .temptation,"  said  the 
father,  with  a  shudder,  looking  over  the  edge  of  the  rock 
into  the  seemingly  fathomless  depth  below.  ' '  Let  us  re- 
turn, for  I  cannot  help  thinking  she  is  at  home,"  said  he,  at 
length,  "  and  if  so  we  waste  time  here." 

They  reached  the  horses,  rather  weary  from  the  exercise, 
and  immediately  mounted,  Mr.  Hastings  having  engaged 
a  country  boy  they  met,  to  ride  the  empty  saddle.  They 
also  arranged  that  a  brother  of  this  lad,  who  lived  on  their 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  17 

road  home,  should  return  to  the  natural  bridge  and  remain 
there  until  sunset,  in  case  the  lost  one  should  appear. 

On  reaching  the  Hermitage  the  gentlemen  found  the 
daughter  had  not  been  seen  or  heard  of.  Mr.  Hastings 
led  the  way  to  his  library.  "  Let  me  think  awhile  as  to 
the  best  thing  to  do,"  said  he,  giving  his  guest  a  chair,  and 
taking  his  own  seat  by  the  window. 

Mr.  St.  Johns  watched  his  host  with  mingled  admiration 
and  wonder. 

"  Externally  an  icicle  ;  internally  a  smothered  volcano," 
he  said  to  himself  as  he  watched  the  fine,  strong  face  in  its 
resolute  calm,  only  indicating  to  a  close  observer,  the 
struggle  going  on  within. 

"  Something  must  have  happened  to  my  child,"  he  said 
at  length,  starting  up.  "  Remain  here  a  moment  while  I 
give  some  orders." 

"Do  not  leave  me  out,  I  must  help  in  some  way,"  said 
the  guest. 

"  Thank  you  heartily,  my  friend ;  I  shall  count  on  you. 
I  will  re  turn  immediately." 

Mr.  St.  Johns  sat  uneasily  awaiting  his  friend's  return, 
when  something  seemed  to  darken  the  window  looking  out 
on  the  garden  to  his  left,  and  glancing  quickly  he  saw  a 
face  pressed  against  the  pane,  and  observing  him  closely. 
As  St.  Johns'  gaze  caught  the  other  the  visage  was 
quickly  withdrawn.  "Who  can  he  be?"  said  the  gentle- 
man, springing  to  the  window  ;  "the  most  malignant  look- 
ing phiz  I  have  seen  for  many  a  long  day."  No  one  was 
to  be  seen  in  the  garden,  and  the  somewhat  disturbed 
guest  resumed  his  seat.  Mr.  Hastings  now  entered  and 
announced  that  he  had  organized  two  parties  of  three  per- 
sons each,  to  proceed  with  lanterns  and  ropes  to  explore  the 
vicinity  of  the  glen,  going  in  different  directions,  but  to 
work  toward  the  rock  where  the  ferns  were  found.  "  We 
go  in  two  wagons,  and  I  accompany  the  one  going  round 
2 


18  THE  RUSSIAN  REFUGEE. 

the  head  of  the  glen.  You,  my  friend,  I  must  ask  to  re- 
main, to  send  instant  intelligence  to  us  if  my  daughter 
should  return,  or  any  information  be  received  here.  A 
lunch  awaits  us  in  the  dining-room,  which  we  shall  need  as 
we  may  be  up  all  night." 

St.  Johns  urged  to  be  allowed  to  accompany  one  of  the 
search  parties,  but  yielded  to  the  reasoning  of  his  host, 
seeing  how  essential  it  was  to  have  some  reliable  person  at 
head-quarters. 

Mr.  Hastings  and  his  two  wagons  and  men  left  at  once, 
taking  with  them  a  large  mastiff,  a  superb,  strongly  limbed 
creature,  which  Elsie  had  reared  from  a  three  months'  old 
puppy.  Her  father  thought  the  sagacity  of  the  animal 
might  be  made  available  in  the  search.  The  dog  was  about 
the  color  and  size  of  a  Calif ornian  lion,  and  almost  as  agile 
and  strong.  On  being  shown  a  walking-dress  of  his  young 
mistress  he  smelled  at  it  and  leaped  and  frisked  about,  as 
if  he  fully  understood  all  that  was  expected  of  him. 

Mr.  St.  Johns  remained  in  the  library  awhile,  after  the 
departure  of  the  others,  and  tried  to  read  ;  but  feeling  list- 
less, and  unable  to  fix  his  attention  on  the  volume,  concluded 
to  take  a  stroll  in  the  garden,  into  which  the  library  win- 
dow led,  being  on  the  same  level.  It  was  bright  moon- 
light, only  obscured  now  and  then  by  a  wandering  cloud 
which  passed  across  the  bright  face  of  the  Queen  of  Night. 
After  walking  up  and  down  a  few  times,  the  night  being 
quite  mild  for  the  season,  he  seated  himself  on  the  fanci- 
fully twisted  rustic  seat  at  the  bottom  of  the  garden. 

Tired,  mentally  and  physically,  he  soon  became  oblivious 
of  surroundings.  How  long  he  slept  he  knew  not,  but 
awaked  suddenly,  shivering  with  cold,  and  with  a  somewhat 
confused  memory  of  a  hideous  dream,  in  which  he  saw 
Elsie  Hastings  falling  down  from  the  table-rock,  down — 
down — down — then  a  blank.  And  he  also  had  a  confused 
recollection  of  seeing  in  his  dream  a  human  body,  or  what 


THE   EUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  19 

appeared  like  a  body,  being  carried  somewhere  into  the 
darkness.  He  shuddered  at  the  thought  suggested  ;  but 
somehow  this  fragmentary  sleep-vision  reassured  him,  and 
for  some  inexplicable  reason,  instead  of  increasing,  rather 
lessened  his  anxiety.  Perhaps  it  was,  as  he  afterward  ex- 
plained, because  just  as  dreamland  dissolved  into  waking 
fact  of  moonlight,  and  garden,  and  the  physical  sensation 
of  cold,  a  face  of  cheerful  expression  floated  swiftly  across 
the  margin  of  half-consciousness  and  vanished.  Returning 
to  the  library,  the  lawyer  found  the  housekeeper,  Mrs. 
Wagram,  lamenting  bitterly. 

"What  has  happened?"  he  cried,  fearfully;  "has  any- 
thing been  heard  of  Miss  Hastings  ?  " 

"Ah,  non,  Meester  Johns,  but  look  at  Meester  Hasting's 
lockup,  all  tore  open,  and  all  the  things  gone,"  and  here 
she  cried  as  if  her  heart  would  break. 

Yes,  the  private  drawer  in  the  secretary  was  open,  and 
contained  nothing  but  a  few  papers.  The  deed  had  been 
adroitly  done,  and  quickly  too,  for  the  gentleman  on  look- 
ing at  his  watch  found  he  had  only  been  absent  about  an 
hour.  Nothing  else  apparently  had  been  disturbed.  The 
drawer  was  a  strong  one,  and  closed  with  a  spiing,  and 
showed  that  considerable  force  had  been  used  in  opening 
it.  A  peculiar-shaped  jimmy  with  the  Sheffield  stamp  on 
it  was  the  only  evidence  of  the  visit  apart  from  the  rifled 
drawer. 

"  Did  Mr.  Hastings  keep  anything  very  valuable  there  ?" 
he  asked  the  housekeeper,  who  sat  moaning  and  crying  on 
the  sofa,  and  then  added  quickly,  "  but  of  course  you  don't 
know." 

"  O,  oui,  monsieur,  papers,  and  money,  and  quelque 
chose." 

"  Can  you  think  of  anybody  likely  to  do  this  ?  This  has 
been  done  by  someone  who  knows  the  house,  for  nothing 
else  has  been  touched  but  this  one  drawer." 


20  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

"  Non,  monsieur,  I  cannot  tell.  The  bad  man  from  New- 
York,  no  doubt." 

In  Mrs.  Wagram's  opinion  all  evil  things  and  persons 
found  lodgement  in  the  great  American  metropolis,  from 
which  they  issued  to  injure  and  destroy,  and  then  returned 
to  the  city  den  with  the  proceeds  of  the  raid.  Hav- 
ing lived  there  for  some  years  she  claimed  to  have  per- 
sonal knowledge  on  the  subject,  and  indeed  sometimes  as- 
tonished her  hearers  by  the  intimate  acquaintance  she 
showed  with  what  is  commonly  called  the  shady  part  of 
city  life. 

"  Well,  we  can  do  nothing  until  Mi\  Hastings  returns. 
There  has  been  no  word  since  they  left  ?  " 

"  O,  no,  no  !  Ma  pauvre  enfant — my  poor  child.  Per- 
du, perdu  !  "  and  here  the  susceptible  Frenchwoman,  find- 
ing anew  the  old  channel  for  her  grief,  from  which  the 
stream  had  been  temporarily  diverted  by  the  fact  of  the 
robbery,  wept  and  wailed  piteously.  Her  companion  tried 
to  console  her,  but  felt  so  utterly  miserable  himself  that  he 
was  not  surprised  that  the  lady  saw  through  the  thin  vail  of 
intention  and  responded  :  "  Oui,  monsieur,  I  know  you  feel 
bad,  but  courage,  monsieur,  the  lovely  child  will,  Dieu  merci, 
come  back  all  right." 

Forgetting  her  previous  despair,  and  quite  unconscious 
of  how  inconsistent  it  must  seem  to  St.  Johns,  the  good- 
hearted  housekeeper  now  talked  volubly  of  her  young  lady's 
return.  For  she  knew  the  Holy  Virgin  would  never  let  any 
evil  happen  to  so  good  a  daughter  and  so  charming  a 
mademoiselle.  And  she  stirred  up  the  smouldering  grate 
fire  and  made  the  room  look  bright  and  cheerful.  Just  at 
this  moment  the  rapid  hoofs  of  a  galloping  horse  were 
heard  crunching  the  gravel  outside,  and  a  strong  voice 
shouted  for  somebody  to  come.  The  inmates  of  the  library 
rushed  into  the  hall,  filled  with  excitement,  and  on  the 
housekeeper  opening  the  door,  the  horseman  threw  some- 


THE  EUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  21 

thing  white  on  the  steps,  saying,  "  A  note  for  Mr.  Hastings," 
and  at  once  turned  his  horse's  head  and  rode  swiftly  away. 

"  Oh,  Meester  St.  Johns,  this  is  of  my  young  lady — read 
— read — •"  and  saying  something  in  her  native  tongue  unin- 
telligible to  her  companion,  she  handed  him  the  letter 
eagerly. 

"It  is  addressed  to  'Mr.  Hastings  or  friends,'  and  is  not 
sealed,  so  I  am  justified  in  reading  it,  I  suppose,  at  such 
a  time  as  this,"  said  the  conscientious  business  man,  holding 
the  opened  sheet  so  as  to  receive  the  rays  of  the  hall  lamp. 

It  was  written  in  a  cramped,  trembling  hand,  and  was 
as  follows  : 

"  MR.  HASTINGS  :  Your  daughter  is  safe  and  in  the  hands  of  friends. 
She  met  with  an  accident,  but  will  soon  be  recovered  and  able  to  go 
home.  Do  not  try  to  find  her,  as  it  will  be  useless.  Kest  quietly  and 
she  will  come  to  you." 

There  was  no  signature,  and  the  writing  seemed  to  be 
that  of  an  aged  person,  and  again  Mr.  St.  Johns  thought 
of  the  face  in  his  dream.  Now,  we  would  not  have  the 
reader  suppose  that  this  man  of  law  was  a  sentimentalist  or 
dreamer  in  the  ordinary  acceptation  of  the  word.  He  was 
a  practical  matter-of-fact  man  of  the  world  ;  and  yet  there 
was  in  his  nature  a  well  of  poetic  thought,  of  which  his 
friends,  and  family,  and  indeed  he  himself,  were  uncon- 
scious. How  many  such  springs  there  doubtless  are  in  the 
dry  desert  of  business  life,  which  circumstances  have  choked 
up  and  prevented  coming  to  the  surface,  causing  an  arid 
expanse  where  otherwise  there  might  have  been  oases  of 
fertility  and  beauty.  Why  should  humanity  so  often  bar- 
gain the  finer  impulses,  nobler  ambitions,  and  truer  in- 
stinct with  all  the  higher  possibilities  of  life,  for  the  golden 
sands  of  the  desert — for  the  fierce  glare  of  the  tropic  sun  of 
self-seeking  ambition,  the  withering  sirocco  of  passion,  or 
the  alternate  flush  and  chill  of  pleasure's  fever  ?  There  was 


22  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

a  something  which  St.  Johns  felt  he  had  missed  in  his  life, 
something  which  would,  he  felt  assured,  have  made  that  life 
sweeter  and  larger,  and  yet  he  could  give  it  no  name.  He 
felt  sometimes,  as  others  have  felt,  that  there  were  certain 
channels  of  his  being  which  had  not  been  opened  up  at  all. 
Channels  of  thought,  or  ways  leading  possibly  into  celestial 
regions,  which  had  been  choked  up,  or  hedged  up,  before 
he  had  fairly  entered  them. 

"  Will  there  be  a  future  time  in  which  these  lost  trails 
will  be  refound,  these  obstructed  ways  reopened,  so  that  I 
shall  be  free  to  enter  on  and  pursue  them  ?  "  he  often  asked 
himself. 

But,  while  we  have  been  thus  digressing,  the  subject  of 
our  attention  has  been  working.  A  messenger  has  been 
sent  off  on  horseback  to  inform  Mr.  Hastings  of  his  daugh- 
ter's probable  safety,  as  she  had  been  indirectly  heard  from. 
This  was  hastily  pencilled  on  a  sheet  of  paper,  the  legal 
caution  deciding  not  to  risk  sending  the  original,  as  it 
might  serve  as  a  clew  in  case  of  subsequent  complica- 
tions. 

We  will  now  return  to  the  search-party  led  by  the 
anxious  father.  The  Devil's  Kock  was  reached  without  any 
tidings  of  the  missing  one,  although  repeated  inquiries 
were  made  along  the  route.  It  was  after  ten  o'clock  when 
they  arrived  at  the  place  of  rendezvous,  but  the  other  di- 
vision of  the  company  had  not  yet  reached  there.  Im- 
mediately the  torches  were  lighted,  and  a  thorough  search 
in  all  directions  was  made  through  the  surrounding  brush. 
The  wagon  road  ran  west  of  the  rock  about  one-fourth  of 
a  mile  distant,  and  between  that  and  the  ravine  every  ob- 
scure place  was  illumined  by  the  torches,  and  scrutinized  by 
anxious  eyes.  After  some  two  hours'  hard  work  the  ex- 
plorers returned  to  the  rock  weary  and  dejected,  to  find 
the  other  band  of  searchers  arrived,  having  been  equally 
unsuccessful  in  their  attempts  to  find  trace  of  the  wan- 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  23 

derer  between  that  point  and  the  bridge.  Their  number 
had  been  increased  by  one,  a  rather  quaint  individual  who 
lived  near  the  ravine  and  supported  himself  and  wife  by 
hunting  and  trapping.  He  was  of  Yankee  stock,  and  was 
noted  for  his  independent  character  and  strong  individuality. 
Having  been  much  thrown  with  some  families  of  the  So- 
ciety of  Friends  he  had  partly  adopted  the  plain  language, 
rarely  addressing  or  speaking  of  anyone  of  his  own  sex 
except  by  the  first  name.  Hiram  Zadoks  paid  deference  to 
no  one,  and  bluntly  spoke  his  mind  on  nearly  all  occasions. 
But  he  was  said  to  be  shrewd  and  sagacious,  and  had  the 
reputation  of  being  strong  as  a  bear  and  entirely  fearless. 
He  was  seemingly  turned  fifty,  tall  and  gaunt,  about  six 
feet  four  inches  in  height,  with  a  very  long,  thin  face  sur- 
mounted by  an  old  white  soft  hat.  He  rarely  wore  any 
coat,  and  his  pantaloons  just  reached  the  tops  of  his  cow- 
hide boots.  Altogether  he  was  a  unique-looking  figure. 
But  perhaps  the  first  thing  to  attract  the  attention  of  the 
observer  was  the  extraordinary  length  of  his  neck.  The 
man  had  the  appearance  of  having  on  some  occasion  raised 
his  head  up  to  look  at  something  distant,  the  neck  yielding, 
rubber-like,  to  the  effort,  and  that,  somehow,  the  head  had 
become  fixed  up  there  and  never  was  able  again  to  come 
down  to  the  level  of  ordinary  mortals.  Glancing  up  at  him 
suddenly,  you  felt  as  if  he  was  looking  down  at  you  from  a 
second-story  gable  window.  "  That  scarecrow,  Hiram," 
the  country  folks  called  him,  but  Miss  Hastings,  with  whom 
he  was  a  great  favorite,  called  him  the  "  Giraffe,"  which 
title  had  been  adopted  by  polite  lips  in  alluding  to  him. 
He  knew,  and  was  known  by  everybody,  and  was  generally 
liked. 

"  Darn  my  butes,  friend  Alf,  but  this  riles  me  consider- 
able ;  the  finest  gal  in  this  kintry,  but  I'll  find  her  ef  I  hev 
to  go  to  the  bottom  of  that  tarnation  hole  myself." 

Mr.  Hastings   cordially  but   silently  pressed  the   huge 


24  THE   KUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

hand  extended  to  him  by  the  speaker,  and  then  in  a  husky 
voice  said : 

"  Hiram,  I'm  afraid  she "  his  voice  failed  him,  and 

he  finished  what  he  had  started  to  say  by  pointing  signifi- 
cantly at  the  hideous  abyss  below  them. 

"  Yaas,"  said  the  other,  slowly,  "  but  I'll  bet  my  best  trap 

that  she'll  turn  up  all  right  yet ;  she  was  too  keerful  to " 

and  here  the  speaker  threw  himself  flat  on  his  face  on  the 
rock  and  peered  long  and  steadily  down  into  the  darkness 
below.  His  hunter's  eye,  trained  in  looking  into  obscurity, 
presently  detected  something,  and  with  the  words  "  Du  tell  " 
he  sprang  to  his  feet  and  immediately  tied  the  end  of  one  of 
the  ropes  securely  around  his  waist.  All  crowded  about 
him  eager  to  know  what  he  meant. 

'*'  Jest  thee  fellars  hist  me  deoun  thar,  an'  be  lively  abeout 
it  too,  an'  I'll  maybe  hev  suthin'  to  tell  yer  on  cooming  up  ; 
leastwise  ef  the  darned  string  doan't  giv  out  or  thee  let  go." 

Several  of  the  men  tried  to  pierce  the  dense  gloom  below, 
but  failed  to  see  anything  whatever  on  which  to  build  hopes; 
all  was  darkness,  profundity,  and  impenetrable  obscurity. 
But  they  well  knew  the  Giraffe  had  wonderful  powers  of 
sight  and  hearing,  and  so  were  disposed  to  trust  his  in- 
stinct, or  sensual  perception,  whichever  it  might  be,  espe- 
cially as  all  traces  of  the  missing  one  led  to  this  rock  and 
then  were  lost.  Even  Leo,  the  mastiff,  was  at  fault  here  and 
prowled  impatiently  around.  The  men  let  the  trapper 
cautiously  down,  having  first  taken  a  turn  round  a  tree  near 
at  hand. 

"  Don't  take  any  chances  of  your  life,  Hiram,"  said  Mr. 
Hastings.  "I  cannot  for  a  moment  bring  myself  to  think 
of  my  child  falling  over  here,  she  was  too  sure-footed  ;  but  I 
would  much  rather  go  myself  than  allow  you,  if  there  is  any 
special  danger." 

"  Nice  job  thee'd  make  deoun  thar,  friend  Alf,"  sung  up 
Hiram  from  the  darkness  below,  for  he  had  swung  himself 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  25 

off  when  Mr.  Hastings  began  speaking  and  was  already  lost 
in  the  gloom.  After  letting  out  about  two  hundred  feet  of 
the  rope  the  strain  on  it  suddenly  ceased,  and  the  holders 
knew  that  the  "  Giraffe  "  had  reached  support  of  some  kind. 

"  It  was  mighty  good  fortin'  to  bring  so  much  of  rope 
with  us.  Three  hundred  feet,  I  should  guess,"  remarked 
one  of  the  men. 

"Yes,"  replied  James  Martin,  a  swarthy  athletic-looking 
young  man,  who  was  employed  as  coachman  and  head  man 
generally  about  the  Hermitage.  "  I  looked  out  for  that, 
and  went  over  and  borrowed  the  new  coil  that  John  got 
lately  for  Mr.  Willowby." 

Presently  the  group  on  the  rock  heard  in  the  intense 
stillness  of  the  night  some  quick,  sharp  sounds  of  either 
anger  or  pain,  or  both,  and  then  a  series  of  snarling  growls. 
They  bent  over  and  listened  intently.  There  was  evidently 
a  commotion  of  some  kind  below,  but  so  far  down  that  it 
was  impossible  to  determine  what  it  might  be. 

"I'm  afraid  the  brave  fellow  is  in  danger  of  some  kind," 
said  Mr.  Hastings. 

"  Trust  old  scarecrow  to  take  care  of  himself  anywhere 
and  everywhere,"  remarked  the  man  nearest  to  him. 

"  Yes,"  returned  another,  "  he  don't  fear  nothing,"  and 
here  he  was  proceeding  to  tell  of  some  wonderful  bit  of  en- 
durance and  courage  on  the  part  of  the  "  Giraffe,"  when  the 
noise  below  suddenly  ceased,  and  the  rope  was  jerked  fiercely, 
the  signal  agreed  on,  and  the  men  began  to  pull  up  with  a 
will.  It  was  slow  work,  for  there  was  danger  of  cutting 
the  rope  against  the  projecting  points  and  edges  of  rock 
if  pulled  too  rapidly.  Presently  Hiram's  voice  was  heard. 

"Be  kearful  thar,  or  thee'll  hurt  the  baby,  haw,  haw, 
haw  !  I  guess  you  fellers  tho't  I'd  feound  the  black  boy 
adeoun  thar,"  and  here  the  speaker  was  seen  emerging  from 
the  Cimmerian  darkness  in  which  he  had  been  engulfed. 

A  spontaneous  burst  of  astonishment  saluted  his  appear- 


26  THE   RUSSIAN   EEFUGEE. 

ance.  His  hat  was  gone,  the  long  black  hair  scattered  in 
all  directions,  and  his  face  hardly  recognizable  for  the  blood 
which  covered  it,  his  shirt  was  in  fragments,  but  despite  ap- 
pearances the  man  was  there  seemingly  as  vigorous  as  ever. 
His  left  hand  clutched  the  rope,  while  the  right  was  firmly 
clasped  round  the  throat  of  an  enormous  catamount.  Hiram 
dashed  the  animal  on  the  rock. 

"  Darn  my  butes,  friend  Alf,  but  I  kind  o'  tho't  the  old 
boy  had  come  for  yours  trooly,  when  that  fellar  tackeled  me 
adeoun  thar.  I  felt  kind  o'  weak  abeout  tha  jiuts  when  he 
tuk  holt ;  acted  as  if  he'd  kinder  come  to  stay.  Humsoever, 
I  kind  o'  gethered  myself  together,  an'  seys  I,  '  Hiram,  don't 
thee  be  a  durned  fool;  this  b'ain't  the  feller  the  parsons 
preach  'bout,  cos  that  feller's  got  no  claws,  an'  this  critter 
hes,'  says  L  '  This  is  a  cat,  thee  bet  thy  butes  ;  an'  Hiram 
don't  give  in  to  no  cat,  not  ef  he  knows  hisself,  an'  maybe 
he  does.'  Meanwhile  I  was  a  kinder  feelin'  for  the  durned 
critter's  necktye,  to  get  a  holt.  An'  durn  his  pictur,  he  was 
playing  kinder  lively  with  his  eye-openers  onto  my  looking- 
glass.  '  Darn  thy  shoemaker  an'  thy  dentist,'  says  I,  an'  thin 
I  jest  got  my  feelers  'bout  the  critter's  swaller,  an  jerked 
the  rope." 

During  this  extraordinary  recital  of  his  sanguinary  strug- 
gle, the  trapper  went  through  a  series  of  ludicrous  twists 
and  movements  intended  to  illustrate  his  story.  The  poor 
fellow  was  severely  scratched  and  bitten,  and  only  his 
courage  and  strength  had  saved  him.  His  wounds  were 
temporarily  attended  to,  and  a  horse-blanket  was  wrapped 
around  him  in  spite  of  his  remonstrances. 

"  Dura  my  pictur',  does  thee  think  I'm  a  womankind  ?  " 

But  here  something  suddenly  crossed  his  memory,  and 
his  voice  became  husky,  as  he  took  from  his  boot  a  glove, 
and  held  it  toward  Mr.  Hastings. 

"Friend  Alf,  I  picked  up  this  'ere  fist-toggery,  an' 
kinder  think  " — but  the  honest  fellow  could  go  no  further. 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  27 

He  could  not  tell  that  father  all  he  dreaded.  His  quick 
eye  had  detected  the  fresh  surface  left  by  the  land  slide, 
and  this  tempted  him  to  the  adventure,  which  might  have 
terminated  so  tragically  for  himself.  He  had,  with  his 
marvellous  visual  power,  for  he  refused  to  take  a  torch  or 
lantern,  traced  the  slide  until  it  was  arrested,  then  found 
the  glove  and  other  evidences  of  some  one  having  been 
there,  and  immediately  after  was  attacked  by  the  cat.  But 
he  was  much  puzzled  to  account  satisfactorily  to  himself 
for  Elsie's  disappearance ;  for  if,  as  he  doubted  not,  she  had 
gone  down  with  the  slide,  why  was  she  not  there  now,  for 
it  was  broad  enough  to  hold  her,  and  had  certainly  been 
trampled  by  human  feet. 

A  deep  silence  fell  upon  the  party,  and  for  some  seconds 
no  one  moved.  The  father  seemed  paralyzed  by  the  blow, 
for  the  glove  admitted  only  one  explanation.  He  had  had 
such  absolute  trust  in  his  child's  skill,  agility,  and  prudence, 
that,  until  now,  he  had  been  the  most  hopeful  of  the  party. 
But  he  was  not  a  man  to  remain  inactive  long,  and  was  first 
to  break  the  silence.  The  voice  was  very  low  and  thin,  as 
if  spoken  with  effort. 

"  It  is  useless,  my  friends,  staying  here.  This  brave  man 
has  partly,  at  least,  solved  the  problem  for  us.  We  will'  re- 
turn home  and  obtain  such  rest  as  we  may,  and  to-morrow 
try  and  get  to  the  bottom  of  the  gorge." 

The  wagons  were  at  once  got  ready,  and  the  horses'  heads 
turned  homeward.  Hiram  was  to  go  home  with  them,  as 
Mr.  Hastings  insisted,  to  have  his  wounds  dressed,  and  also, 
as  his  counsel  in  regard  to  the  proposed  work  of  to-morrow 
would  be  invaluable,  even  if  incapacitated  from  taking  part 
himself.  Being  near  daybreak,  almost  five  o'clock,  few  of 
them  really  expected  to  obtain  any  sleep  more  than  might 
be  snatched  in  the  home  drive. 

Suddenly,  as  they  were  just  starting  off,  Hiram  burst  out 
with,  "  Durn  my  butes,  but  there's  a  critter  comin'  this  way, 


28  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

all  kicketty- whoop."  Each  one  tried  to  listen,  but  although 
the  night  was  unusually  quiet,  not  a  sound  could  any  one 
else  hear.  "An'  he's  got  a  man  atop  on  him  too,  and  he's 
just  acoming  for  all  git  out,"  persisted  the  Giraffe. 

"  It  may  be  some  one  seeking  us,"  said  Mr.  Hastings,  at 
length,  while  a  gleam  of  hope  seemed  to  light  his  face,  and 
as  suddenly  died  away  again. 

"Let  us  remain  where  we  are  for  a  few  moments,"  di- 
rected he. 

Now,  some  of  the  others  declared  they  could  detect  a 
horse's  galloping  feet,  and  soon  all  heard,  and  in  a  brief 
time  the  sound  seemed  to  leave  the  road  above  and  come 
toward  them. 

"  Is  Mr.  Hastings  here  ?  "  shouted  the  rider,  emerging 
from  the  darkness  like  a  messenger  from  another  sphere, 
"I've  a  paper  for  him." 

"  Ah,  Will,  is  it  you  ?  "  said  that  gentleman,  as  he  hastily 
seized  the  paper.  He  appeared  to  glance  quickly  over  its 
contents  by  the  nickering  light  of  the  torch  held  for  him 
by  one  of  the  men,  and  then  the  paper  fell  from  his  nerve- 
less grasp,  and  he  was  seen  to  stagger,  and  would  have  fallen, 
only  for  the  ready  hands  which  caught  him. 

"Lay 'im  on  his  back.  He's  only  kinder  wilted.  Durn 
my  butes,  but  I'm  kinder  sorter  myself,"  chimed  in  the 
Scarecrow. 

"I  feel  ashamed  of  myself,  but  the  revulsion  was  too 
much.  I'm  all  right  now,"  said  the  proprietor  of  the  Her- 
mitage, sitting  up.  "  Well,  my  friends,  this  paper  tells  me 
that  my  daughter  has  been  heard  from,  and  is  safe.  Thank 
God  for  it,"  he  added,  reverently. 

"  Hurrah !  "  exclaimed  Hiram,  and  presently  a  shout  arose 
which  vibrated  on  the  night  air  like  a  gunpowder  explosion. 

Eapid  time  was  made  in  reaching  the  Hermitage  that 
morning,  for  daylight  streaked  the  east  as  they  entered  the 
avenue  which  led  to  the  mansion-house. 


CHAPTEE  HI. 
THE    MYSTERY. 

c<  YES,  there  were  some  valuable  papers  there,  and  some 
family  relics,  and  about  one  hundred  dollars  in  money,  but 
these  losses  are  very  trivial  to  me  at  the  present  moment," 
remarked  the  owner  of  the  Hermitage,  when  informed  by  his 
friend  of  the  robbery.  "  Strange  that  Elsie  does  not  send 
us  further  word,  or  else  come  herself,"  he  continued,  glanc- 
ing at  the  clock  on  the  mantel,  which  showed  4  P.M.  of  the 
day  following  the  incidents  mentioned  in  the  last  chapter. 

"  Have  you  any  suspicion  of  where  she  may  be  ? "  in- 
quired St.  Johns. 

"  None  whatever.  Elsie  has  acquaintances  and  friends 
all  over  the  country  and  among  all  classes.  My  opinion  is, 
that  falling  over  the  cliff  she  was  caught  about  the  place 
Hiram  found  the  glove,  and  that  her  cries  attracted  notice 
from  some  passer-by,  who  succeeded  in  rescuing  her  from 
her  perilous  position,  and  some  of  these  people  near  the 
glen  are  wonderfully  expert  in  dealing  with  accidents  of 
this  nature.  And  it  is  probable  that  she  was  temporarily  in- 
jured— a  sprained  ackle  or  something  of  that  sort — and  is 
now  at  one  of  the  cottages." 

"But  why  should  she  not  at  once  notify  you  of  her 
whereabouts  ?  "  said  his  companion. 

"I  don't  know  ;  that  is  the  mystery  which  enshrouds  this 
thing,"  said  Mr.  Hastings,  bluntly,  turning  toward  the  win- 
dow to  hide  his  feeling  of  vexation. 

About  8  P.M.  a  note  was  found  on  the  library  floor,  evi- 


30  THE  RUSSIAN"   REFUGEE. 

dently  thrown  there  while  the  gentlemen  were  at  dinner. 
It  was  in  Elsie's  handwriting,  and  read  as  follows  : 

"  DEAK  FATHER  :  Do  not  be  anxious  about  me,  I  am  safe  and  well 
with  the  exception  of  a  sprained  ankle.  I  am  with  kind  friends, 
but  circumstances  forbid  my  leaving  here  or  disclosing  my  retreat  for 
the  present.  You  can  trust  me,  father,  for  you  know  me  too  well  to 
doubt  me.  I  met  with  a  terrible  fall  and  was  insensible  for  some 
time,  how  long  I  do  not  know,  and  was  wonderfully  saved.  Ever 
your  loving  child.  ELSIE." 

"Nothing  for  it  but  patience,  I  suppose  ;  read  that  St. 
Johns,  and  suggest  what  you  think  had  better  be  done." 

"  If  she  is  detained  against  her  will  and  has  penned  that 
under  compulsion,  the  sooner  something  is  done  the  bet- 
ter," said  the  lawyer,  handing  back  the  note. 

"  Perhaps  that  wild  fellow  you  were  telling  me  about 
could  advise  us ;  his  class  is  often  equal  to  an  emergency 
of  this  kind  when  more  cultivated  brains  fail.  It  is  largely 
a  question  of  knowledge  of  locality,  as  she  is  evidently  not 
far  off." 

"A  -good  thought.  I  will  call  him  up,"  touching  the 
bell.  "  Mary,  please  tell  Hiram  I  want  to  see  him  a  mo- 
ment, that  is,"  he  added,  "  poor  fellow,  if  he  is  able  to  be 
up  after  such  a  terrible  experience." 

"  O,  yes  sir,  he's  up  some  time  ago,  and  is  now  getting 
ready  to  go  home." 

In  a  few  moments  a  strong  knock  was  heard  at  the 
door,  and  in  walked  the  "  Scarecrow." 

"Well,  Hiram  my  poor  fellow,  how  are  you  to-day?" 
said  Mr.  Hastings,  kindly,  giving  him  his  hand. 

"  Wall,  Squire,  I  feel  kinder  twisted  up,  sorter  I'd  been 
drawed  through  a  fuz  bush.  Ha,  ha  !  Didn't  she  go  fur 
me,  I  guess  ?  But  it'd  take  mor'n  one  cat  to  get  away  with 
the  '  Giraffe.'  Ha,  ha ! " 

One  peculiarity  of  the  trapper  was  that  he  was  as  proud 
of  this  title,  as  a  blue-blooded  scion  of  European  aristocracy 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  31 

might  be  of  the  title  of  '  lord,'  or  an  American  of  '  general ' 
— because  it  had  been  given  him  by  Elsie  Hastings,  who 
held  first  place  in  Hiram's  estimation. 

"  A  most  singular  creature,"  said  the  city  man  to  himself, 
regarding  him  curiously. 

Strange  and  weird  looking  always,  the  "  Scarecrow  "  cer- 
tainly merited  the  title  on  this  occasion.  Martin  had  loaned 
him  a  shirt  and  jacket,  which  being  much  too  small  for  him 
only  seemed  to  bring  out  the  grotesqueness  of  his  figure, 
and  his  great  length  of  limb  and  neck.  His  face  was  al- 
most covered  with  strips  of  black  plaster,  hiding  the 
furrows  made  by  the  cruel  talons  of  the  cat.  But  it  was 
evident,  in  spite  of  his  confident  bearing,  that  the  brave 
fellow  was  feeling  the  effects  of  his  experience,  and  needed 
more  rest. 

"Hiram,  I  sent  for  you  because  I  heard  you  were  up. 
But  you  really  ought  to  be  in  bed.  This  is  my  friend  Mr. 
St.  Johns." 

"  Put  it  thar,"  said  the  trapper,  extending  an  enormous 
hand,  in  which  he  fairly  covered  up  the  small  one  of  the 
lawyer,  giving  it  a  squeeze  which  made  him  wince  and 
nurse  the  abused  member  for  some  moments.  "  Ony  friend 
of  Alf  Hastings,  is  friend  o'  mine.  Has  thee  heard  of  the 
young  woman,  friend  Alf  ?  Ony  news  mor'n  ther  gotten 
by  the  rock  ?  " 

"  Yes,  and  that's  what  I  want  to  talk  with  you  about. 
My  daughter  writes  me  herself  this  time,  to  say  she  is  laid 
up  with  a  sprained  ankle,  and  is  with  friends,  but  she  does 
not,  and  evidently  is  not  permitted  to  give  the  names  of 
those  she  is  with." 

"  Du  tell,  friend  Alf  ;  'pears  to  me  kinder  odd  like,"  and 
here  Hiram  dropped  into  a  chair  and  seemed  to  be  lost  in 
thought. 

"  Suthin's  got  to  be  done,  an'  Hiram's  the  boy  to  do  it," 
he  exclaimed  at  length,  as  if  debating  with  himself.  "  The 


32  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

auld  critter ;  durn  my  butes,  Hiram,  thee's  been  a  dream- 
ing." 

"Have  you  any  idea  of  where  Elsie  is?"  said  Mr.  Hast- 
ings, quietly.  "You  have  known  her  from  the  time  she 
was  a  child,  and  now  I  want  you  to  help  rne  find  her,  be- 
cause she  may  be  detained  against  her  will  somewhere." 

"  Know  her,  know  Elsie  Hastings — durn  my  butes,  friend 
John,"  looking  in  a  friendly  way  toward  the  lawyer,  "  I've 
known  that  gal  sence  she  was  knee  high  to  a  bumble  bee. 
Ha !  ha ! "  And  here  the  honest  fellow  laughed  quietly 
to  himself,  "  Durn  em,  ef  I  didn't  teach  her  all  she  knows — 
birds,  nests,  fleowers  ;  way  up  the  Big  Hole,  hosses.  Ha  i 
ha !  I've  tooken  her  on  these  sholers  mile  an'  mile,  rain 
an'  shine.  Know  little  Elsie !  I  should  think  I  did." 

"  Well,  my  friend,  with  your  help  I  think  we  can  find 
her.  Suppose  you  go  and  get  some  sleep  and  rest,  and  to- 
morrow morning  we'll  start." 

"  No,"  said  the  woodsman  firmly,  "  friend  Alf,  thou  must 
stay  here,"  and  then  thinking  he  had  perhaps  hurt  the 
father's  feelings,  he  added,  "leastwise  the  morn'll  show 
what's  best." 

"  All  right,  Hiram,  good-night." 

On  inquiring  for  Hiram  at  breakfast  next  morning,  the 
report  came  that  he  had  departed  long  before  it  was  light, 
and  had  left  a  piece  of  a  shingle  on  which  Mr.  Hastings 
with  some  difficulty  made  out  the  words,  "  Friend  Alf, 
good-by.  The  best  dugs  don't  allers  hunt  in  company. 
Here  from  yours  truly,  soon.  Hiram." 

"  What  does  the  fellow  mean,  Mr.  Hastings  ?  Do  you 
suppose  he  is  to  be  trusted  ?  " 

"  I  would  risk  my  life  with  him,  St.  Johns  ;  but  he  is  as  ec- 
centric as  he  is  honest  and  brave,  and  that  is  saying  much." 

"  But  do  you  imagine  he  has  any  idea  of  where  Elsie  is  ? 
He  certainly  acted  as  if  he  did  last  night." 

"  You  cannot  tell  anything  about  him,  he  is  as  cunning 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  33 

as  the  animals  he  traps,  but  I  suspect  he  has  some  idea 
which  he  is  going  to  act  on,  and  preferred  to  be  alone,'' 
returned  the  host.  "  However,  my  hands  are  practically 
tied.  Wherever  Elsie  is  she  is  not  exactly  her  own  mis- 
tress, I  know.  If  this  were  Italy,  I  should  be  sure  she 
was  a  captive  in  the  hands  of  banditti,  who  were  holding 
her  for  a  ransom.  But  no  such  organization  exists  around 
here  that  I  know  of.  I  only  wish  she  was  home  safely." 

The  guest  noticed  how  worn  and  anxious  his  host  looked, 
having  evidently  slept  but  little  if  any  since  the  disappear- 
ance of  his  child. 

"  But  in  my  own  selfish  anxiety  I  came  near  forgetting 
that  Mrs.  St.  Johns  and  the  girls  are  to  be  here  to-day.  I 
must  give  some  directions  about  the  carriage  meeting  them 
at  the  depot,"  suddenly  remarked  Mr.  Hastings. 

"  Thanks,  but  do  not  let  this  be  a  burden  on  you  ;  they 
can  easily  find  a  conveyance.  In  relation  to  Elsie,  however, 
let  me  make  a  suggestion.  May  I  send  to  New  York  for  a 
couple  of  sharp  detectives  that  I  know  of  ?  Possibly  they 
may  be  able  to  bring  this  matter  to  a  crisis." 

"  No,  I  thank  you,  St.  Johns,  at  least  not  at  present,  for 
she  may  be  acting  entirely  of  her  own  free  will  in  this 
matter,  and  I  would  not  for  the  world  manifest  suspicion 
toward  those  to  whom  I  may  be  under  immense  obligation 
for  saving  her  life." 

"Yes,  but  I  can't  for  the  life  of  me  see  the  kindness  or  sense 
of  keeping  an  injured  girl  away  from  home,  where  she  could 
be  so  much  better  nursed.  Let  me  send  for  the  officers." 

"  Not  yet ;  we  will  wait  a  little  and  see  what  Hiram  may 
do,  and  then,  Elsie  may  write  again.  If  they  were  not 
friendly  she  could  not  have  written  at  all ;  we  must  not 
forget  that.  I  will  go  and  order  the  carriage,  and  as  it  is 
fine  suppose  we  go  and  meet  the  ladies  ?  " 

"That'll  suit  me  exactly,"  returned  his  companion,  as 
Mr.  Hastings  left  the  room. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE   CITY   FOLKS. 

"  MR.  ST.  JOHNS,  please  come  into  the  hall,  sir,  Mr.  Hast- 
ings wants  to  speak  to  you." 

"  Why,  St.  Johns,  we  shan't  have  our  ride  after  all,  here's 
your  wife  and  daughters  coming  up  the  avenue." 

Presently  the  carriage  stopped  at  the  hall  door,  and  a 
rather  foppish-looking  young  man  sprang  down  from  beside 
the  coachman  and  shook  hands  heartily  with  the  two  gen- 
tlemen who  stood  waiting  to  receive  the  guests. 

"  Deah  me,  how  fortunate  to  find  you  both  at  home. 
Mamma  said  she  was  sure  you  would  be  out  somewhere." 

"  Why,  Ruskin,  how  well  you  look,  and  Mr.  Hastings 
too  ;  why  we  haven't  met  for  an  age.  You  remember  '  Ange- 
lina' and  '  Alfarina,'  do  you  not  ?  Not  so  '  comme  il  faut ' 
as  one  could  wish,  but  we  are  travellers,  you  know." 

The  good  lady  fairly  beamed  on  her  host  and  led  the 
way  into  the  house  with  Mr.  Hastings,  while  the  girls  fol- 
lowed demurely  with  their  father  and  brother.  The  elder, 
Angelina,  led  a  small  pug  dog  by  a  pretty  blue  ribbon 
fastened  to  a  fancy  brass  collar. 

"Well,  pa,  we  did  take  an  earlier  train  than  we  expected, 
for  Angie  had  thought  perhaps  Napoleon  would  stand  the 
fatigue  of  the  journey  better  in  the  morning." 

"  What  a  fib,  Roland.  Don't  you  mind  him,  father,  he's 
always  poking  fun  at  '  Napy,'  isn't  he,  dear  ?" 

"  Where  is  Elsie  ?  I  can't  rest  till  I've  seen  the  dear  girl. 
What  a  perfect  treasure  she  is.  I  feel  a  mother's  interest  in 
her,  and  with  your  permission  will  carry  her  off  to  town 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  35 

some  of  these  days.  Mademoiselle  has  such  a  very  fine  as- 
sortment this  season." 

Mr.  Hastings'  brow  clouded  a  little  as  he  answered 
gravely,  "  I  am  really  glad  that  you  take  so  much  interest 
in  my  motherless  girl,  but  she  is  not  home  at  present ;  an 
accident,  a  rather  singular  experience  detains  her,  which 
Mr.  St.  Johns  will  explain  to  you  while  I  give  some  direc- 
tions about  your  rooms  to  Mrs.  Wagram." 

Two  tall,  handsome  girls  were  the  Misses  St.  Johns.  An- 
gelina, a  blonde,  with  regular  features  and  oval  face,  would 
have  passed  almost  any  ordeal  of  criticism  and  been  pro- 
nounced charming.  Her  neat  gray  travelling  costume 
fitted  her  shapely  figure  exquisitely,  and  she  walked  with  a 
grace  and  style  that  a  princess  or  any  other  lady  might  have 
envied.  A  slight  affectation  of  manner  rather  detracted 
from  the  first  impression  generally  produced  on  seeing  her, 
but  in  spite  of  this  she  was  a  favorite  in  society  and  al- 
most worshipped  at  home.  Alfarina  was  somewhat  shorter 
than  her  sister,  though  still  about  the  average  height  of 
women,  a  brunette,  with  good  features,  but  rarely  or  ever 
attracting  much  comment  when  Angelina  was  near.  Fond  of 
society,  but  being  less  sought  after  than  "  Angie,"  the  home 
name  of  the  elder,  Alfarina  Si  Johns  was  much  more  dom- 
estic in  her  tastes,  and  devoted  to  her  father,  for  whom  she 
frequently  acted  as  amanuensis.  Under  different  influences 
she  would  have  made  a  sensible,  affectionate  girl,  but  the 
fashion-loving  mother  had  gradually  moulded  her  to  the 
ideal  which  was  enshrined  in  Madame  Grundy's  temple 
until  the  true  nature  was  so  obscured  that  few  knew  or  sus- 
pected that  she  was  capable  of  aught  else  than  the  butter- 
fly life  she  led.  Her  father  was  one  of  these  few,  and  Elsie 
Hastings  was  another. 

"  If  any  serious  misfortune  should  overtake  me,  Alf  is  the 
only  one  I  could  depend  on  in  my  own  family,"  St.  Johns 
said  to  his  friends  on  one  occasion. 


36  THE  RUSSIAN   KEFUGEE. 

Mrs.  St.  Johns  was  much  shocked  to  hear  of  the  recent 
events,  and  Elsie's  disappearance. 

"  The  dear  child  !  She  was  always  so  venturesome,  you 
know,  Mr.  Hastings,"  looking  at  her  host  somewhat  re- 
proachfully. "I  always  warned  you  that  something  would 
happen  if  that  darling  girl  was  allowed  to  run  around  the 
country  by  herself.  Excuse  me  for  speaking  so  plainly, 
but  young  ladies,  in  my  opinion,  should  rarely  venture  out 
alone,  even  for  half  an  hour.  It  is  un — un " 

"  Unladylike,"  suggested  Mr.  Hastings,  smiling.  "  I  know 
you  must  think  so,  but  I  should  have  had  a  fine  time  if  I  had 
made  that  rule  with  Elsie.  No,  I  determined  she  should 
grow  up  naturally  and  unfettered,  excepting  the  restraints 
necessary  for  right  guidance,  and  so  far,  I  think  she  has  jus- 
tified my  judgment." 

"Yes,  my  dear  sir,  but  only  see  what  it  has  come  to  !  " 
and  here  the  good  lady  raised  the  scented  cambric  to  her 
eyes. 

The  truth  was,  Mrs.  St.  Johns  had  long  wished  for  some 
opportunity  to  impress  her  friend  with  the  falsity  of  his 
theories  concerning  female  education,  and  the  time  seemed 
to  have  finally  arrived,  and  she  was  not  quite  generous 
enough  to  avoid  taking  advantage  of  it.  Keally  fond  of 
Elsie,  she  longed  to  introduce  her  to  the  fashionable  world, 
clad  in  all  the  finery  which  the  mademoiselle's  deft  fin- 
gers know  so  well  how  to  fabricate.  Elsie's  bright  ways, 
springy,  active  movements,  and  splendid  health  were  re- 
garded by  the  matron  as  being  of  little  worth — sadly 
unfashionable  and  even  rustic.  The  languid  air,  stately 
slow  step,  and  pale  complexion  of  her  daughters,  were 
considered  as  being  much  more  desirable  in  the  eyes  of  this 
foolish  mother  than  the  fine  physical  vigor  of  the  country 
maiden.  Elsie  painted  beautifully,  sketching  from  nature, 
but  of  instrumental  music  she  knew  little.  Having  no  taste 
for  the  piano,  her  father  early  determined  that  she  should 


THE  RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  37 

never  waste  time  and  strength  by  practising  four  or  five 
hours  a  day  at  what  was  useless  to  her,  and  would  inevitably 
be  abandoned  when  she  became  her  own  mistress. 

"  Piano  practice  is  one  of  the  means  by  which  bodily 
health  is  seriously  impaired,  the  intellect  dulled,  and  pre- 
cious time  worse  than  wasted,  in  scores  of  families.  We  see 
the  fruits  daily  of  this  baleful  custom  of  compelling  those 
who  have  no  musical  ability  to  spend  thus  the  fleeting  hours 
of  their  invaluable  spring-time.  But  still  the  immolation  of 
the  victims  goes  on.  Mere  mechanical  music,  mere  instru- 
mental playing,  without  soul  in  it,  is  torture  to  the  hearer, 
and  weariness  to  the  performer,  and  in  eight  out  of  ten 
cases  the  music  we  hear  is  precisely  this,  and  nothing  more. 
Ability  to  produce  natural  music  or  singing  is  presumptive 
evidence  that  there  is  a  basis  for  a  musical  education,  but, 
if  this  is  absent,  I  should  hesitate  very  seriously  about  per- 
mitting a  child  of  mine  to  study  music  at  all,  supposing 
she  earnestly  desired  it  herself,  otherwise  decidedly  not 
But  I  would  have  all  children  taught  to  sing,  if  possible,  so 
soon  as  they  can  articulate." 

This  was  Mr.  Hastings'  answer  in  part  to  a  letter  received 
some  years  before  from  Mrs.  St.  Johns  urging  him  to  send 
Elsie  to  the  city  school  for  the  musical  advantages.  The 
lady  was  amazed  at  such  heterodoxy  and  used  to  show  the 
letter  in  confidence  to  her  lady  friends  as  a  natural  curios- 
ity. 

''To  think  of  anyone  in  this  civilized  country,  and  in  this 
advanced  age  of  the  world,  entertaining  such  views." 

"  Poor  girl,  what  is  to  become  of  her  with  such  a  father?  " 
were  the  ordinary  comments. 

"Why,"  said  Mrs.  Euphrasia  Landis,  of  Landis  Place, 
"  when  my  Minetta  told  me  she  did  not  care  about  studying 
music,  I  said  at  once,  '  never  let  me  hear  that  again,  or  off 
you  go  to  boarding-school.'  I  employed  Signor  Therry,  and 
made  her  practise  four  hours  a  day,  and  I  flatter  myself 


38  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

few  girls  of  her  age  excel  her."  But  the  pale  face,  stoop- 
ing, round  shoulders,  and  languid  air  of  the  coerced  musi- 
cian, told  in  eloquent  words  the  price  paid  for  the  useless 
accomplishm  ent. 

"My  daughter's  music  for  ten  years,"  said  a  pompous 
father  one  day  to  Mr.  Hastings,  "  cost  me  just  $5,000." 

Mr.  Hastings,  who  knew  the  girl  detested  the  piano, 
could  not  help  replying,  "  And  cost  her  ten  thousand  un- 
happy hours,  I'll  be  bound.  Surely  such  a  price  in  money 
and  suffering  is  too  much  to  pay  for  any  accomplishment 
on  earth." 

The  visitors  soon  made  themselves  at  home,  for  the  house 
was  large,  roomy,  and  delightfully  located,  and  Mr.  Hast- 
ings was  a  model  host.  The  only  drawback  was  the  ab- 
sence of  Elsie,  which  kept  all  in  a  state  of  half-nervous  ex- 
pectancy. Mr.  St.  Johns  still  urged  sending  for  a  city 
detective,  and  in  this  was  supported  by  his  whole  family. 
Roland  St.  Johns,  who  has  been  rather  ignored  so  far, 
especially  insisted  on  it. 

"  Really,  my  deah  Mr.  Hastings,  you  ought  to  yield  to 
father  in  this,  for  he  is  a  lawyer,  you  know,  and  understands 
the  way  of  these — aw  wretches.  And  to  think  of  your  beau- 
tiful daughter  being  detained  by  those  scamps,  whoever 
they  are,  is  enough  to  make  me  turn  detective  myself,  aw." 
Saying  which  the  young  man  appeared  so  warlike  that  his 
mother  regarded  him  admiringly,  remarking  : 

"You  look  just  like  your  grand-uncle,  the  Admiral. 
Doesn't  he  Ruskin  ?  "  While  the  younger  sister  laughed 
merrily. 

"  O  yes,  Roland,  but  I  think  you  would  do  better  to  de- 
tect a  pretty  girl  in  a  ball-room  than  in  a  hiding-place  in 
these  mountains.  Besides,  it  might  be  dangerous,  you 
know  ; "  and  here  she  imitated  the  affected  mincing  tone 
of  the  youth  to  his  great  disgust. 

"  Well,  mamma,  you  know  Roland  is  no  more  fit  for  such 


THE  RUSSIAN  REFUGEE.  39 

work  than  I  am,  and  it  sounds  so  droll  to  hear  him  talk  in 
that  bombastic  style,"  she  responded  to  her  mother's  dis- 
pleased look. 

"  I  am  sure  your  brother  is  as  brave  as  a  lion  if  he  was 
only  tried,  and  indeed  I  hope  he  never  will  be." 

"  But,  mamma,  what's  the  use  of  courage  if  one  never 
uses  it?  Besides,  one  cannot  be  sure  of  possessing  it," 
persisted  Alf. 

Finally,  as  nothing  more  was  heard  of  or  from  Elsie, 
and  a  week  had  now  elapsed,  Mr.  Hastings  almost  decided 
to  allow  St.  Johns  to  send  to  the  city  for  his  officers. 

"  We  will  delay  until  noon,  and  if  nothing  contra-indi- 
cates  in  the  interval  you  can  order  your  detectives  here  at 
once." 

"  Do,  Mr.  Hastings, 'allow  me  to  write  now.  Where  is  the 
use  of  longer  delay  and  running  greater  risk  ?  Every  day 
that  passes  but  complicates  the  case.  " 

"That  appears  reasonable,  but  I  wish  to  send  a  mes- 
senger to  Hiram's  cottage  to  ascertain  if  he  has  been  home 
since  leaving  here.  I  still  have  some  hopes  in  that  direc- 
tion." 

"  Pray  don't  tell  that  queer  fish  anything  about  sending 
for  detectives,"  urged  the  lawyer  in  evident  alarm. 

"  Oh,  no,  I  promise  you  that,  unless  the  officers  themselves 
agree  to  it." 


CHAPTEK  V. 

"A  NEW  WORLD." 

WE  will  now  return  to  the  object  of  the  anxiety  which 
more  or  less  possessed  the  inmates  of  the  Hermitage.  We 
will  try  to  follow  the  fortunes  of  the  young  lady  who  in  fal- 
ling into  the  Great  Eavine  has  also  in  a  certain  sense  fallen 
out  of  our  narrative.  -When  Elsie  awoke  to  consciousness, 
before  moving  or  opening  her  eyes,'  she  lay  for  some  mo- 
ments in  a  sort  of  lethargic  condition,  as  people  often  do 
under  such  circumstances,  trying  to  recall  the  past,  and 
realize  what  had  happened.  Presently,  in  a  confused  way, 
the  events  of  the  morning  came  to  her.  The  parting  with 
her  father  and  Mr.  St.  Johns,  the  ramble  along  the  brow  of 
the  ravine,  the  descent  from  the  flat  rock  to  get  the  ferns, 
the  giving  way  of  the  ground,  and  the  blankness  and 
vacancy  which  followed.  And  now  where  was  she  ?  Was 
she  at  the  bottom  of  the  ravine,  or  had  somebody  found 
her  and  taken  her  home.  Was  her  father  wildly  searching 
for  her,  or  had  he  not  yet  missed  her  ?  How  long  since 
this  happened  ?  These  thoughts  rapidly  coursed  through 
her  brain,  and  she  almost  dreaded  to  open  her  eyes.  Wher- 
ever she  was,  however,  her  instinct  told  her  that  the  light 
which  came  to  her  through  the  closed  lids,  was  not  sunlight ; 
it  was  artificial  light.  She  felt  sure,  then,  she  was  in  some 
dwelling.  Yet  she  feared  to  open  her  eyes.  Sensation  re- 
turned slowly,  and  she  realized  that  she  was  lying  on  some 
kind  of  couch.  By  a  great  effort,  for  she  seemed  to  herself 
at  first  as  if  she  could  not  move  at  all,  she  grasped  the  sub- 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  41 

stance  on  which  her  hand  lay,  and  felt  that  it  was  soft  to 
the  touch,  but  furry,  like  an  animal.  She  shuddered,  and 
drew  back  the  hand  by  a  convulsive  effort.  What  if  she 
should  be  still  in  the  ravine,  and  this  some  wild  animal 
which  had  crept  alongside  of  her  for  warmth  ?  Then  she 
remembered  the  light,  but  was  afraid  to  move  a  limb.  An 
undefined  fear  possessed  her  ;  perhaps  her  fall  had  para- 
lyzed her,  and  she  would  be  a  hapless,  helpless  cripple  for 
life.  Something  warm  touched  her  hand,  and  a  voice  which 
seemed  very  small,  something  like  a  doll's  voice,  she 
thought,  said : 

"  Open  your  eyes,  my  daughter ;  fear  nothing,  you  are 
among  friends." 

A  great  revulsion  of  feeling  took  place,  the  blood  seemed 
to  surge  tumultuously  through  her  whole  being — the  leth- 
argy gave  way,  and  she  opened  her  eyes.  The  light  blinded 
her,  tand  she  quickly  closed  them  again.  She  felt  like  a 
prisoner  who,  by  one  superlative  effort,  has  disrupted  ten 
thousand  delicate  bands  which  held  from  liberty.  Like  a 
bird  which  has  just  freed  itself  from  the  entangling  meshes 
of  a  net,  and  yet,  being  temporarily  exhausted  by  the  effort, 
falls  back  again  amid  the  broken  threads  of  its  prison- 
house,  seemingly  helpless  as  before,  but  with  this  glorious 
consciousness  of  difference — '  The  door  is  now  open,  the 
way  free  to  life  and  liberty.'  Elsie  felt  no  longer  in  that 
dreadful  bondage  of  negative  condition,  uncertainty,  and 
doubt.  The  voice  and  resulting  effort  on  her  part  in  re- 
sponse had  made  her  once  more  a  citizen  of  life's  common- 
wealth, and  had  scattered  wide  the  doleful,  half-formed 
apprehensions  which,  like  black,  evil-eyed  spirits,  had  flown 
athwart  the  dim  twilight  of  her  awakening. 

"  How  like,"  she  thought,  for  her  mind  now  began  to  act 
vividly,  "  is  my  condition  to  that  of  some  poor  soul  plunged 
in  the  darkness  and  bondage  of  ignorance,  despair,  or  per- 
plexity, which  hears,  not  audibly  in  a  physical  sense,  per- 


42  THE  RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

haps,  but  somehow,  in  the  silences  of  the  soul,  the  still 
small  voice  of  guidance,  at  whose  electric  tones  obscurity 
clears  into  brightness  and  noon  of  night  becomes  noon  of 
day.  The  labyrinth  opens,  the  paths  broaden,  and  it 
presses  onward,  with  bounding,  elastic  tread,  into  the  un- 
known but  now  trusted  future." 

Some  of  our  experiences  cannot  be  measured  by  time. 
Seconds  have  the  import  and  meaning  of  months,  and  scores 
of  ordinary  life-atmospheres  seem  to  be,  by  some  mysteri- 
ous alchemic  process  in  the  secret  laboratory  of  the  spirit, 
compressed  into  the  fleeting  breath  of  a  moment.  Our 
being  seems  to  be  filled  and  expanded  with  celestial  oxygen, 
giving  an  exhilaration  which  is  a  foretaste  of  paradise. 
Such  was  the  almost  ecstatic  state  in  which  this  high- 
strung  but  thoroughly  healthy  nature  found  herself  now. 
It  was  the  border-land,  the  medium  country,  which,  though 
lighted  by  Heaven,  is  still  Earth.  Dear  Mother  Earth  J  It 
is  something  to  find,  after  a  perilous  trial  in  which  we  have 
almost  touched  the  "  somewhere  "  of  our  of  ten  musings,  that 
we  are  still  with  thee,  on  thee,  and  of  thee.  Dear  Mother 
Earth  !  With  all  thy  trials,  disappointments,  vexations, 
shortcomings,  sorrows,  and  bereavements,  we  love  thee 
still,  and  perhaps  best  when  near  leaving  thee.  Elsie  felt 
as  if  the  coin  of  her  nature,  of  her  spirit-life,  had  been 
sent  to  the  mint  and  been  restamped,  and  in  a  sense  was 
brightened  and  renewed — again  to  pass  into  the  same  old 
currency  of  life,  but  not  by  any  means  the  same  old  coin. 
She  was  conscious  that  she  had  received  an  impress,  that 
she  had  gone  forward,  as  it  were,  and  gained  a  maturity  of 
mental  and  spiritual  experience  at  a  bound.  Had  been,  so 
to  speak,  promoted  high  up,  without  passing  through  the 
intermediate  grades.  She  had  been  face  to  face  with 
Death,  and  the  cold  shadow  of  the  pinion  of  the  King  of 
Terrors,  had  chilled  her  so  that  the  returning  warmth  of 
life's  sunshine  was  sufficient  to  thrill  her  with  happiness 


THE   RUSSIAN   KEFDGEE.  43 

which  she  could  neither  define  nor  grasp,  only  feel  it  and 
live  in  it. 

Again  that  dread  of  breaking  the  spell,  of  facing  reality, 
came  over  her.  O  that  she  could  stay  thus  forever !  Could 
Heaven  give  more  ?  Suddenly  strains  of  delicious  music 
filled  the  air,  and  her  half-awakened  senses  merged  them- 
selves in  enraptured  listening.  Calm,  quiescent,  still, 
yet  intensely  receptive,  she  was  unconscious  of  aught  but 
the  floods  of  harmony  which  rolled  in  plaintive  waves  over 
her  soul.  Now  tender  and  pathetic  as  a  mother's  lullaby, 
very  near  ;  then  far  off,  as  the  stately  swell  of  a  rhythmic 
ocean  stealing  with  measured  steps  upon  a  distant  shore. 
The  sounds  ceased  ;  and,  obeying  an  impulse  which  could 
not  be  resisted,  she  murmured,  startled  at  the  sound  of 
her  own  voice,  as  if  another  owned  and  used  it,  "  Play,  O 
play  that  once  more,  and  then  I  can  willingly  die." 

"  Not  die,  but  live,  my  daughter,"  said  the  voice  she  had 
heard  before.  "  It  shall  be  as  you  wish."  And  again  melody 
held  her  captive.  As  the  final  strains  lost  themselves  to 
her  the  voice  came  again,  and  now  she  noticed  its  quality, 
soft  and  subdued,  giving  her  confidence. 

"  Come  back,  my  child,  to  life  and  friends.  All  is  well !  " 
And  at  the  same  moment  a  hand  was  passed  lightly  over  her 
head,  and  at  once  all  doubt,  confusion,  and  languor  disap- 
peared, and  she  opened  her  eyes  wide  and  looked  up.  Her 
glance  rested  at  once  on  the  finest  and  most  expressive  face 
she  thought  she  had  ever  seen.  It  was  an  aged  face,  for  it 
was  framed  in  snow-white  hair  and  beard,  the  latter  reach- 
ing to  the  waist.  But  the  eyes  were  black  as  coal  and 
keenly  bright ;  the  whole  expression  was  humane  and  be- 
nevolent in  a  marked  degree.  Smiling  winningly,  the  owner 
of  the  face  clasped  her  hand  kindly,  saying  : 

"Do  not  trouble  yourself,  my  daughter,  to  ask  any  ques- 
tions now.  I  will  go  and  bring  you  some  needful  food,  and 
when  you  have  gathered  strength  I  will  tell  you  all."  Say- 


44  THE  RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

ing  which,  he  quietly  lifted  a  curtain  near  her  couch  and 
passed  out  of  sight. 

She  raised  herself  up,  with  a  little  difficulty,  into  a  sitting 
posture  and  quietly  surveyed  the  room.  It  was  a  singular- 
looking  apartment  of  a  very  peculiar  shape,  or  rather  having 
no  special  shape.  It  was  quite  extensive,  and  there  seemed 
to  be  no  doors,  only  curtains  were  hung  around  the  walls, 
and  large  handsome  skins  of  wild  and  tame  animals.  An 
immense  open  fireplace  occupied  one  end  of  the  chamber, 
and  the  bright  wood-fire  looked  cheery  and  homelike.  The 
couch  on  which  she  rested  was  formed  entirely  of  soft  skins, 
and  she  smiled  at  the  vague  terror  which  had  beset  her  be- 
wildered mind,  a  short  time  since,  when  she  had  grasped  the 
fur.  The  furniture  was  as  singular  as  the  room.  A  long 
handsome  table,  of  different  kinds  of  wood  and  with  sin- 
gularly twisted  legs,  rested  at  the  side  of  the  room,  opposite 
her  couch.  A  number  of  very  cosy -looking  chairs,  fantasti- 
cally carved  and  having  gnarled  and  twisted  legs,  like  the 
table,  were  scattered  about,  all  of  them  being  cushioned  with 
skins.  Everything  wore  an  appearance  of  comfort  and  ease 
and  softness  which  was  soothing  to  the  new  inmate.  She 
now  looked  curiously  to  the  floor,  and  found  it  was  evi- 
dently of  sand  and  partly  covered  with  skins.  But  on  look- 
ing up,  in  a  listless  way,  at  the  roof  she  noticed  that  it 
sparkled  in  the  glancing  firelight  like  a  million  clusters  of 
diamonds.  Long  pendants  of  bright,  glittering  icicles  hung 
from  the  roof.  Icicles  ?  No  ;  but  very  like  icicles.  A  won- 
derful roof !  She  had  never  seen  anything  like  it.  Altogether 
the  place  was  totally  unlike  anything  her  previous  experi- 
ence had  brought  her  in  contact  with,  and  again  the  ques- 
tion pressed  upon  her,  "  Where  can  I  be  ?  "  She  began 
to  feel  weak  again,  and  lay  down  on  her  skin  couch  and 
closed  her  eyes.  Presently  a  low  breathing  reached  her  ear, 
and  again  she  looked  around  somewhat  in  vague  alarm. 
Finally  the  sound  led  her  glance  to  the  fireplace,  near  which 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  45 

she  saw  a  form  which  before  she  had  taken  for  a  skin  thrown 
loosely  on  the  floor.  She  could  detect  a  sort  of  movement 
now,  and  she  was  satisfied  this  was  the  source  of  the  breath- 
ing. Some  sort  of  animal  she  thought,  and  half  feared  to 
breathe  lest  she  should  awaken  it.  Looking  fixedly,  she 
could  now  notice  the  regular  rise  and  fall  of  the  deep,  broad 
chest. 

"  I  believe  it  is  a  dog,"  she  said,  softly,  and  her  nervous- 
ness vanished.  She  had  no  fear  of  dogs ;  they  had  been 
her  friends  and  companions  from  babyhood.  Her  thoughts 
went  out  to  home  and  her  own  faithful  Hugo,  and  she  felt 
that  if  he  had  been  with  her  things  might  have  turned  out 
better.  "  But  lam  safe  and  in  good  hands,"  she  said.  "I 
wonder  if  I  broke  any  bones,  anyway  ?  I  don't  feel  any 
pain,"  and  here  she  moved  her  limbs  cautiously  ;  but  a 
sharp  twinge  in  the  right  foot  made  her  cry  out  involun- 
tarily, which  brought  the  sleeping  animal  at  a  bound  into 
the  middle  of  the  apartment.  He  was  a  mastiff  of  huge  pro- 
portions, fawn-colored,  with  a  fine  intelligent  head.  Fixing 
his  large,  lustrous  eyes  full  upon  her  in  a  questioning  but 
friendly  sort  of  way,  and  wagging  his  tail,  he  advanced 
slowly  toward  her  and  put  his  great  jaws  into  her  out- 
stretched hand. 

"  Poor  fellow,  good  doggie  ! "  she  said,  soothingly  ;  "  it 
feels  almost  like  being  home  again  to  see  you." 

Engaged  in  caressing  the  dog,  she  did  not  notice  his 
master  had  entered  the  room  and  was  gazing  fondly  at 
them  both. 

"  If  anything  else  had  been  needed  to  make  me  feel  a 
father's  interest  in  my  young  friend  and  patient,  it  would 
be  the  interest  you  feel  in  the  other  animals.  Not  lower 
animals,  as  some  call  them,  for  these  devoted  creatures  are 
often  superior  to  men — to  many  men  certainly,  and  more 
faithful  than  most." 

So  saying,  the  speaker  fondly  stroked  the  docile  animal, 


46  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

whose  eye  never  left  his  face  while  speaking,  as  if  he,  too, 
understood  and  agreed  with  what  had  been  said. 

"  Go  to  your  place,  Alex  ! "  upon  which  the  mastiff  re- 
turned at  once  to  his  rug  by  the  fire,  and,  with  his  head  be- 
tween his  paws,  attentively  watched  his  master.  "  I  thought 
I  heard  your  voice,  my  child,  and  as  if  in  pain,"  he  said,  in- 
quiringly. 

"  I  moved  my  foot  and  it  hurt  me  a  little.  Is  it " 

and  here  she  paused,  hesitatingly. 

"  I  know  what  you  would  ask,"  he  said,  kindly.  "  No,  it 
is  not  broken,  but  very  badly  sprained.  You  must  thank  the 
Good  Spirit  and  your  angel  that  no  bones  were  broken. 
You  had  a  terrible  fall,  but  we  wilP  not  talk  of  that  now  ; 
you  must  have  some  nourishment."  And  again  he  disap- 
peared, to  return  immediately  bearing  a  small  tray  on 
which  was  some  simple  but  appetizing  food  and  milk.  The 
tray  was  placed  on  a  small  table,  also  from  the  inner  room. 
Encouraged  by  her  kind  host,  Elsie  found  the  simple  fare 
delicious,  and  her  hunger  satisfied,  she  felt  her  old  life  and 
vigor  again,  and  now  longed  for  an  opportunity  to  know 
how  she  came  to  her  present  abode,  and  how  long  she 
had  been  there,  and  a  thousand  other  things — prominent 
among  which  was  the  intense  desire  to  know  if  her  father 
had  been  communicated  with.  One  thing  she  felt  certain 
of — her  host  was  a  foreigner,  certainly  not  an  American, 
and  yet  he  spoke  a  very  pure  English,  almost  too  pure  for 
a  native,  contradictory  as  it  might  seem. 

"  Nadia  will  come  in  now,  and  help  to  make  you  feel 
more  comfortable  ;  but  I  am  afraid  she  cannot  answer  any  of 
your  questions,  as  she  does  not  speak  English,  so  you  must 
save  the  questions  for  me  when  I  return,"  he  said,  smilingly. 

"  Not  speak  any  English ! "  and  making  a  desperate  effort 
to  overcome  her  reserve,  she  asked,  impulsively,  as  he  was 
raising  the  curtain  to  leave  the  room,  "  What  language 
does  she  speak,  then  ?  " 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  47 

He  looked  at  her  a  moment  fixedly,  as  if  to  notice  the 
effect  of  his  answer,  and  then  said,  quietly  and  gravely,  and 
she  thought  with  a  slight  hesitation,  "  Russian,"  and  the 
curtain  dropped,  and  she  was  again  alone  with  Alex,  the 
dog. 

"I  wonder  how  badly  my  foot  is  injured?"  she  said, 
audibly  ;  and  the  dog  pricked  up  his  ears  at  her  voice,  and 
slightly  wagged  his  tail,  as  if  he  would  like  to  tell,  but 
must  not,  and  yet  looking  at  her  as  if  he  knew  all  about  it. 
Throwing  aside  the  light,  fleecy  covering  of  exquisite  snowy 
whiteness  which  lay  over  the  lower  part  of  the  couch,  she 
carefully  moved  her  feet,  very  cautiously,  and  keeping  them 
closely  together,  gradually  she  brought  them  to  the  floor. 
But  no  sooner  had  she  done  so  than  the  sense  of  fulness 
and  weight  and  dull  pain  in  the  right  foot  and  ankle  warned 
her  that  it  was  badly  swollen.  A  light  footstep  and  the 
raising  of  the  curtain  drew  her  attention  to  a  small,  rosy 
face  peering  at  her  curiously.  Elsie  held  out  her  hand 
impulsively,  and  a  bright  little  maiden  of  some  twelve 
summers  sprang  into  the  room,  seized  the  proffered  hand 
and  raised  it  to  her  lips,  at  the  same  time  uttering,  "  Slava 
Bogu  !  "  in  a  charming,  childlike  way.  Elsie  put  her  arm 
round  the  girl's  neck  and  kissed  her  warmly,  which  seemed 
greatly  to  delight  the  little  woman,  for  she  chattered  in  a 
very  animated  way,  and  the  accents  of  that  strange  tongue 
fell  like  music  on  the  listener's  ear,  although  she  did  not 
understand  a  word. 

"  Are  you  Nadia  ?  "  said  Elsie,  sounding  the  name  as  she 
had  heard  it  spoken  by  the  old  man.  The  rosy-cheeked 
maiden  shook  her  head,  saying : 

"No,  no,"  very  decidedly,  and  at  that  moment  the  in- 
dividual referred  to  entered  the  room  in  the  person  of  a 
middle-aged,  pleasant-featured  woman  whose  likeness  to 
the  girl  at  once  declared  the  relationship  between  them. 

"  Slava  Bogu ! "  said  the  new-comer,  dropping  a  courtesy 


48  THE  RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

to  the  young  lady  and  crossing  herself  reverently.  Elsie 
was  much  diverted  at  the  way  in  which  the  child  took  her 
mother's  hand,  and  in  a  dramatic  way  pointed  at  her,  at 
the  same  time  glancing  at  the  lady,  saying  emphatically, 
"  Nadia,"  and  then  touching  her  own  breast  significantly 
said,  "  Sophia,"  ending  by  saying  something  to  the  elder, 
and  laughing  merrily.  It  was  a  complete  introduction,  and 
the  merriment  of  the  youngster  was  so  infectious  that  Elsie 
laughed  too,  and  the  mother  smiled  in  a  grave,  sad  way, 
giving  at  the  same  time  a  half -loving,  half-reproving  glance 
at  the  mirthful  maiden.  In  spite  of  the  painful  foot  the 
toilet  was  skilfully  and  rapidly  made  by  the  deft,  tender 
hands  of  the  mother  and  daughter,  who  insisted  that  the 
patient  must  not  help  herself  in  the  least.  But  to  a  nature 
like  Elsie's  this  was  impossible,  and  her  own  quick  fingers 
expedited  matters  not  a  little,  so  that  in  about  twenty  min- 
utes she  was  sitting  in  a  sort  of  easy-chair  with  her  feet  on 
a  support,  clad  in  clean,  white  garments  fetched  from  un- 
seen places,  and  feeling  fresh  and  decidedly  comfortable. 

"But  where  am  I ?  and  who  is  my  benefactor?  Old  fel- 
low, I  wish  you  could  speak,"  as  the  dog  came  up  to  her  in 
friendly  fashion  and  laid  one  paw  on  the  stool  which  sup- 
ported her  feet.  "  Oh,  if  I  only  knew  this  language.  Why 
didn't  I  learn  Kussian  instead  of  French  when  I  went  to 
school.  But  then  Mademoiselle  Therry  didn't  know  any- 
thing but  French,  how  should  she.  How  she  would  have 
looked  if  I  had  asked  her  to  teach  me  Kussian.  How  ri- 
diculous, as  if  I  ever  could  have  supposed  that  I  should 
have  any  use  for  Kussian.  I  never  dreamed  there  were 
any  Russians  in  our  part  of  the  world." 

Her  mind  ran  on  in  this  whimsical  way,  and  presently 
•  she  found  herself  smiling  at  her  own  fancies. 

"  However,  that  grand  old  gentleman  understands  Eng- 
lish and  will  tell  me  all  about  it,  but  I  must  send  a  mes- 
sage to  father." 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  49 

A  slight  noise  aroused  her,  and  the  old  man  stood  before 
her  again. 

"Do  not  fret,  my  child,  I  heard  your  last  words  as  I  en- 
tered the  room.  Your  father  knows  you  are  safe.  He  was 
notified  early  this  morning." 

"  This  morning  !  why,  how  long  have  I  been  asleep  ?  and 
was  it  yesterday  that  I  fell  down  the  ravine  ?  " 

Drawing  one  of  the  curious  chairs  to  hers,  he  sat  beside 
her. 

"  We  did  not  discover  you  until  about  seven  o'clock  last 
evening,  and  you  have  to  thank  Alex  here  that  we  found 
you  then.  The  instinct  of  these  beings  is  wonderful,"  and 
here  he  laid  his  hand  upon  the  dog's  head  which  was  rest- 
ing on  his  knee.  He  detected  you  and  gave  us  no  rest 
until  we  began  the  search.  Adolph,  whom  you  have  not 
yet  seen,  has  the  sight  of  a  greyhound,  and  the  strength 
and  courage  of  a  panther,  and  soon  decided  that  some  one 
was  lying  helpless  and  needed  prompt  assistance.  With- 
out going  into  wearisome  details,  let  me  say  that  we 
reached  you  and  brought  you  here  in  an  insensible  condi- 
tion, from  which  you  only  recovered  a  couple  of  hours 
since." 

Elsie  grasped  the  hands  of  the  speaker  fervently.  "Oh, 
how  can  I  thank  you,  you  have  saved  my  life,"  and  here 
her  tears  flowed  freely. 

"  I  fear  I  have  been  a  little  imprudent,  my  daughter ;  you 
are  weak  yet  from  your  fearful  fall.  You  must  rest  quietly 
now  and  not  talk  any  more.  Everything  will  be  well 
You  trust  me,  my  child,  do  you  not  ? " 

"  With  my  life,"  she  returned,  raising  his  hand  to  her 
lips,  "  but  do  let  me  send  word  to  my  father.  My  dear 
father,  he  will  be  so  dreadfully  anxious.  Can  he  not  come 
and  see  me  if  I  am  too  lame  to  be  moved  ?  "  And  here  she 
regarded  him  wistfully. 

"  Suppose  you  write  him  a  little  note,  telling  him  you 


50  THE   EUSSIAN  KEFUGEE. 

are  safe  and  doing  well,  but  that  the  doctor  says  you  can- 
not be  moved  yet." 

"  O  thank  you  so  much,  and  where  shall  I  say  I  am  ?  " 
adding  naively,  "  and  your  name,  so  that  he  can  help  me 
thank  my  benefactor." 

"  Say  you  are  in  the  home  of  a  physician  who  will  send 
you  to  your  father  so  soon  as  it  is  safe  for  you  to  travel." 

"  Are  you  really  a  doctor  ?  and  do  you  practice  in  our 
neighborhood  ?  Strange  that  I  never  heard  of  you.  At 
least,"  she  added,  coloring,  "  I  mean,  I  thought  I  knew  of 
all  the  physicians  round  here." 

"  I  do  not  practise  now,  only  for  a  friend  occasionally. 
For  instance,  when  a  young  lady  is  brought  to  me  insensi- 
ble, suffering  from  concussion  of  the  brain  and  a  sprained 
ankle.  Then  I  turn  doctor  once  more.  But  your  father 
can  trust  me,  my  child,  for  I  understand  the  healing  art 
thoroughly,  and  kind  nature  offers  me  remedies  on  every 
hand." 

So  delicately  evasive  had  been  his  replies  that  she  had 
too  much  tact  to  press  for  information,  which  she  saw  was 
purposely  withheld,  so  she  quietly  penned  the  note  which, 
as  we  have  seen,  reached  Mr.  Hastings  at  his  home.  On 
finishing  it,  instead  of  asking  for  an  envelope,  as  first  in- 
clined, she  frankly  passed  it  to  her  companion,  who  seemed 
much  pleased  at  this  mark  of  confidence,  and  handed  it 
back  saying : 

"  You  will  never  regret  confiding  in  me,  my  daughter. 
Read  it  to  me  if  you  like.  There  are  matters  which  I  can- 
not well  explain  now,  but  which  you  shall  know  in  good 
time."  So  saying  he  held  out  his  hand,  which  she  warmly 
grasped,  and  then  read  the  few  lines  she  had  traced. 

"Very  good,  your  father  will  have  this  within  a  few 
hours." 

He  was  about  leaving  the  apartment,  when,  observing  her 
wistful  look,  he  said,  "  Yes,  my  child,  I  promise  you  that 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  51 

you  shall  know  of  your  father's  welfare  soon,"  and  left  the 
room. 

She  was  astonished. 

"  Why,  he  seems  to  read  my  thoughts.  He  is  a  wonder- 
ful man.  This  is  the  third  time  he  has  told  me  what  I 
wished  before  I  could  frame  it  in  words.  But  he  is  grand 
and  noble,  and  I  begin  to  love  him  very  much.  Who  can 
he  be  I  wonder  ?  " 

The  subject  of  her  thoughts  was  truly  a  remarkable-look- 
ing man  in  many  respects.  A  very  aged  man  apparently, 
for  he  had  many  of  the  signs  of  far-advanced  life,  and  yet 
his  step  was  elastic  though  slow.  Of  medium  height  and 
fairly  nourished  form,  he  gave  some  indications  of  having 
enjoyed  uncommon  physical  power  and  endurance  in  his 
prime.  But  his  superb  head,  before  alluded  to,  with  the 
abundance  of  snowy  hair  above  and  below,  and  the  brilliant 
piercing  black  eyes  gave  him  an  appearance  of  dignity  and 
authority  rarely  met  with. 

Elsie  fancied  he  looked  like  an  ancient  king,  and  his 
bearing  and  manner  emphasized  the  thought.  The  full 
beard  in  man  always  gives  the  impression  of  power,  and 
nothing  so  adds  to  that  indefinable  something  we  call  pres- 
ence, like  the  hirsute  appendage.  Oh !  the  degeneracy  of 
these  beardless  times.  Shade  of  Vandyke !  how  would  yon 
mourn  over  the  race,  so  many  of  whom,  denuded  by  art, 
below,  and  by  ruthless  nature  above,  scud  along  on  life's 
ocean  literally  under  bare  poles  ! 

Elsie  did  not  see  her  host  again  that  night,  for  soon  after 
his  departure  with  the  note,  Nadia  and  her  little  daughter 
entered  with  some  slight  refreshment,  after  partaking  of 
which  she  was  prepared  for  repose  and  left  alone,  with  a 
soothing  draught  by  her  side,  which  she  was  to  take  in  case 
she  could  not  sleep.  The  little  maiden  managed  to  tell  her 
in  broken  English,  that  some  one  would  be  within  call  in 
case  she  wanted  anything  during  the  night 


52  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

Her  head  ached  pretty  badly,  for  the  severe  concussion 
of  the  brain  -which  she  had  suffered  had  left  that  organ  in 
a  very  excitable  condition,  and  the  absolute  quiet  she  now 
enjoyed  in  that  great,  comfortable  room,  with  the  glowing 
fire  sending  its  fitful  dancing  light,  now  in  one  corner,  and 
then  in  another,  was  just  what  she  felt  she  required.  The 
intense  stillness  was  wonderful,  not  a  sound  but  the  crack- 
ling of  the  fire  reached  her,  and  soon  slumber  wrapped  her 
senses  in  oblivion.  What  a  democrat,  what  a  leveller  sleep 
is  !  Prince  and  peasant  alike,  in  slumber.  Where  is  the 
distinction  ?  For  a  third  of  the  time  wealth,  rank,  power, 
have  no  advantage  over  poverty,  obscurity,  weakness.  In 
the  great  commonwealth  of  slumber  all  enjoy  equal  rights. 
In  the  republic  of  dreams  the  noble  and  ignoble  may  change 
places,  and  the  beggar  mount  the  throne  of  power. 

"Was  it  a  dream  ?    How  oft  in  sleep,  we  ask,  Can  this  be  true  ? 

Whilst  warm  imagination  paints  her  marvels  to  our  view, 
Earth's  glory  seems  a  tarnished  crown,  to  that  which  we  behold, 

When  dreams  enchant  our  sight  with  things  whose  meanest  garb 
is  gold !  " 

And  then,  the  awakening  from  a  really  sound,  refreshing 
slumber — is  any  satisfaction  on  earth  equal  to  it  ?  You  are 
ready  to  engage  the  world  single-handed.  Giants,  which,  a 
few  hours  previously,  presented  a  portentious  front  and  made 
us  feel  proportionately  humble,  now  appear  dwarfs,  or  at  the 
most,  inflated  monsters  which  a  properly  applied  pin  will 
cause  to  collapse  and  shrink.  Problems  are  solved,  doubts 
disappear,  and  earth  seems  rehabilitated  under  the  magic 
touch  of  the  enchanted  wand  of  the  nocturnal  king.  It 
was  undoubtedly  morning,  for  the  glorious  rays  of  the  day 
god  were  streaming  into  the  room,  tinting  with  golden 
beauty  whatever  they  touched.  But  the  light  seemed  to 
come  from  one  direction,  and  yet  she  could  see  no  window. 
"  What  a  funny  house  it  is,"  she  said  to  herself.  •'*  Who 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  53 

ever  saw  such  a  ceiling,  and  no  windows  visible  ?  But  yet  the 
light  comes  in,  and  sunlight  too.  What  a  delightful  sleep 
I  have  had ;  if  this  old  ankle  only  would  get  well  fast,  I 
should  soon  be  able  to  go  home." 

And  then  she  thought  of  the  people  she  was  with,  and  the 
evasive  answers  of  the  old  man  to  her  inquiries. 

"Russians,  for  I  suppose  he  is  a  Russian  too.  I  wonder  if 
pa  knows  anything  of  them.  Well,  they  are  very  interest- 
ing, and  that  bright-eyed  little  one  must  know  more  English 
than  she  lets  on.  I  will  try  and  find  out  something  from 
her.  If  no  better,  I  suppose  I  must  learn  Russian.  My, 
what  would  father  say  if  I  went  home  talking  Russian  like 
a  Cossack  ?  " 

This  thought  so  struck  her  fancy  that  she  laughed  mer- 
rily. The  truth  was,  Elsie  was  naturally  fond  of  adventure, 
and  now  that  sleep  had  restored  in  great  degree  her  lost 
nervous  tone,  she  rather  enjoyed  the  idea  of  trying  to  solve 
the  mystery  by  which  she  was  surrounded.  She  was  just 
planning  how  she  should  put  her  questions,  so  as  to  elicit 
information  without  giving  rise  to  suspicion — for  she  felt 
certain  that  there  was  something  about  these  people  which 
they  did  not  wish  her  to  know — when  the  words  "  Slava 
Bogu  "  saluted  her  ears,  and  Nadia,  followed  by  the  demure 
little  maiden,  glided  into  the  room. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE    "SCARECROW,"   AND   HIS  DARK  LANTERN. 

INQUIRY  at  Hiram's  cottage  only  produced  the  informa- 
tion that  nothing  had  been  seen  or  heard  of  him  for  two 
days.  His  wife  declared  this  was  nothing  unusual,  as  he 
was  frequently  away  on  his  trapping  expeditions  for  a  week 
at  a  time.  She  was  a  buxom,  good-humored  German,  very 
short  and  stout,  and  an  odder-looking  couple  could  not  be 
found  on  the  Continent.  "Plus  and  Minus,"  Mr.  Hastings 
called  them,  but  they  seemed  well  adapted  to  each  other,  and 
lived  in  perfect  harmony — at  least  so  the  nearest  neighbors 
said,  who  lived  about  a  mile  off. 

"Datis  one  wonderful  man,"  said  Mrs.  Hiram  ;  "me  tell 
him  he  never  be  lost.  Dot  man  so  high  he  not  hide  him- 
self. His  head  stick  up  somewhere."  And  here  the  good 
lady  laughed  all  over,  until  the  jubilant  waves  of  her  ample 
person  trembled  and  quivered  like  a  mountain  of  blanc- 
mange. 

The  master  of  Hermitage  decided  to  take  no  special  step, 
beyond  making  rigid  inquiry  everywhere  for  miles  round, 
until  he  saw  Hiram  again. 

"  He  is  better  than  any  policeman  or  detective,  and  can 
follow  a  scent  with  the  fidelity  of  a  sleuth-hound." 

Nearly  every  house  skirting  the  ravine,  or  on  its  ap- 
proaches, was  visited,  but  nothing  heard  of  the  missing  girl. 

"This  anxiety  is  really  wearing  on  my  nerves,"  exclaimed 
Mrs.  St.  Johns,  on  the  evening  of  the  fifth  day  since  the  acci- 
dent. "  Really,  my  dear  Mr.  Hastings,  something  ought  to 
be  done.  Do,  I  beg  of  you,  be  guided  by  my  husband.  He 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  65 

is  a  legal  man,  you  are  aware,  and  knows  all  about  such  mat- 
ters. Angle  is  quite  losing  her  color,  grieving  in  secret  for 
her  lovely  friend." 

"We  all  miss  her  so  much.  I  had  a  thousand  questions  I 
wanted  to  ask  her,  and  so  many  places  she  promised  to 
show  me.  I  know  those  horrid  people  are  keeping  her 
against  her  will."  And  here  the  tears  came  into  Angie's 
lovely  eyes,  adding,  as  she  well  knew,  to  her  charms.  Mr. 
Hastings  looked  distressed. 

"  I  would  not  have  had  this  take  place  for  anything  I  could 
name,  and  just  at  your  visit  too,  dear  friends,  but  my  hands 
are  practically  tied.  I  am  assured  that  my  child  is  alive 
and  probably  well,  apart  from  the  injury  to  her  foot.  That 
she  is  now  also  domiciled  within  a  few  miles  of  this  house, 
I  am  satisfied  too  ;  but  that  is  the  extent  of  my  knowledge, 
and  all  inquiry  has  proved  futile.  My  only  hope  of  near  so- 
lution of  this  problem  lies  in  Hiram,  whose  appearance  I  am 
anxiously  expecting." 

"But,  Kuskin,  surely  you  can  suggest  something?  Oh, 
how  we  all  suffer.  My  heart  bleeds  for  you,  my  dear  friend," 
turning  to  her  host.  "  I  know  well  what  a  parent's  anx- 
ieties are,"  and  here  the  handkerchief  did  duty. 

"  Indeed,  Selia,"  returned  her  husband,  "Mr.  Hastings  and 
I  have  gone  over  the  ground  so  thoroughly,  and  sifted  ever}' 
proposed  theory  or  expedient  so  completely,  that  I  confess 
I  am  fast  coming  to  his  belief,  that  the  trapper  is  our  best 
hope." 

"  But,  pa,"  interrupted  his  son,  "  surely  a  New  York  de- 
tective, one  of  the  Bow  Street  stripe,  for  instance,  would 
be  of  more  service  than  a  common — ah — peasant." 

"  Detectives  are  all  very  good  in  their  way,  but,  as  Mr. 
Hastings  says,  if  we  bring  a  detective  here,  he  will,  not 
knowing  the  ground,  have  to  employ  some  such  person  as 
this  Hiram  to  really  do  the  work.  However,  we  still  have 
the  alternative  of  a  detective  as  a  final  resort." 


56  THE  RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

"  But,  father,  it  is  truly  awful  to  think  of  a  beautiful  and 
refined  young  lady  having  to  sleep  a  single  night  in  one  of 
those  huts,  and  on  a  straw  bed,  perhaps.  Why,  it  makes 
nay  blood  run  cold  to  think  of  the  outrage."  And  here 
Roland  looked  so  ludicrously  pugnacious,  that  his  sister 
Alfare.na  laughed,  and  remarked  : 

"  Sleeping  in  one  of  those  cottages  is  not  so  very  bad, 
surely.  I  think  I  should  like  it.  It  would  be  quite  an  ad- 
venture, and  I  know  Elsie  won't  mind  that  part  of  it  so 
much." 

Roland  tossed  his  head  loftily,  saying,  "Young  ladies 
don't  know  anything  about  such  things.  They  think  it 
very  romantic.  I've  seen  something  of  that  life,  and  I  know 
the  difference." 

"  Yes,  one  night  in  a  fisherman's  cottage.  What  an  im- 
mense experience,"  said  the  young  lady,  provokingly.  "  Mr. 
Hastings,  you  must  know  that  Roland  and  some  of  his  col- 
lege friends  went  out  on  a  boating  trip  last  summer,  and 
were  driven  by  '  stress  of  weather ' — that  is  the  phrase,  isn't 
it,  Roland  ?  "  smiling  at  the  youth  mischievously — "  to  take 
refuge  for  the  night  in  a  deserted  fisherman's  hut.  I  ex- 
pect they  suffered  enough,  poor  fellows,  for  next  day  Roland 
came  home  blistered  with  the  sun  and  reaUy  half  sick.  But 
ever  since  his  lordship  uses  this  adventure  to  overawe  us 
girls  with  his  large  experience." 

"  Well,"  said  the  host,  smiling  genially,  "  the  cottage  life 
will  have  no  terrors  for  Elsie,  for  she  has  spent  many  a  night 
in  one."  Adding,  with  a  wistful  look  :  "However,  I  wish  for 
all  reasons  she  was  home,  and  she  will  be  so  distressed  to 
miss  even  a  part  of  your  visit." 

About  8  P.M.,  that  evening,  Mr.  Hastings  was  summoned 
from  the  parlor  where  he  was  sitting  with  his  guests,  to  see 
a  stranger  who  had  been  shown  into  the  library.  The  vis- 
itor proved  to  be  the  long-expected  Hiram,  who  had  re- 
quested the  servant  not  to  mention  who  he  was  to  her  mas- 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  57 

ter.  The  gentleman  was  much  gratified  at  seeing  the  tall 
form  of  the  trapper  as  he  rose  to  greet  him. 

"  Why  Hiram,  my  man,  I  was  afraid  some  mountain  cat 
bigger  than  common,  had  devoured  you." 

"  Take  a  pretty  big  cat  to  fix  Hiram,  friend  Alf,"  said 
the  mountaineer,  grimly.  "  But  hev  you  heard  anything  of 
Miss  Elsie  ?  " 

"  Good  Heavens  !  why,  I  thought  you  had  come  to  tell 
me  something  about  her  yourself.  Here  we  have  been 
waiting  for  you  all  this  time,  and  now  you  ask  me  such  a 
question  as  that ! " 

The  woodsman  worked  his  long  fingers  together,  crack- 
ing the  joints  nervously,  and  with  a  report  like  a  small  pis- 
tol ;  and  then,  looking  askance  at  his  companion,  blurted 
out: 

"I  guess  she's  well,  friend  Alf,  I  guess  she's  well." 

"  I  hope  she  is,  indeed,"  returned  the  father,  smiling  in 
spite  of  his  annoyance  ;  "but  where  is  she  ?  Come,  Hiram, 
my  good  fellow,  you  know  how  naturally  anxious  I  am. 
Come,  sit  down  and  tell  me  all  about  it." 

Hiram  sat  down  mechanically,  and  looked  straight  at  a 
hunting  picture  on  the  wall. 

"  Thet's  a  peart  pictur,  but  the  dug  ain't  right.  Dugs 
doan't  run  straight  like  that  un." 

At  any  other  time  Mr.  Hastings  would  have  enjoyed 
bringing  out  his  guest's  criticisms,  which  were  quaint  and 
shrewdly  correct ;  but  now  his  anxiety  to  know  about  his 
child  almost  rose  to  fever  heat. 

"  Let  the  picture  alone  for  the  present,  Hiram,  and  go  on 
with  your  story.  So  you  found  Elsie  ?  " 

Hiram  looked  still  at  the  picture,  but  did  not  seem  to 
have  heard  the  remark. 

"  Tears  to  me,  friend  Alf,  them  keows  ain't  quite  nat- 
teril,  but  it's  a  prime  pictur,  friend  Alf." 

Mr.  Hastings  curbed  his  eagerness,  feeling  satisfied  that 


58  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

his  strange  companion  would  not  be  driven  or  coaxed  to 
say  anything  he  did  not  wish,  and  that  what  he  came  to 
say  would  be  said  in  his  own  time  and  way.  So,  humoring 
the  trapper,  he  began  talking  about  the  picture,  and  en- 
couraged the  rustic  critic  to  give  his  opinions  on  art. 

Hiram  was  such  a  true  student  of  nature,  in  all  her 
moods,  that  his  ideas,  crude  as  they  were,  were  pithy  and 
graphic  ;  but  his  hearer  well  knew  this  was  only  side-play, 
and  was  not  surprised,  though  greatly  relieved,  when  his 
strange  visitor,  looking  him  full  in  the  face,  said  : 

"Friend  Alf,  did  ee  ever  carry  a  dark  lantern  on  the 
meountains  at  night,  and  kipped  the  dark  side  out  ?  " 

"  I  have  certainly,  Hiram,  but  what  of  it  ?  " 

"  Wall,"  said  Hiram,  rising  slowly  from  the  chair,  "  I  be 
carrying  the  lantern  naow,  an'  I  hev  ter  keep  the  dark  side 
to  thee,  friend  Alf.  Elsie's  well,  I've  seed  her  and  talked 
wi'  her,  bless  her,  an'  she  sent  yer  this.  Durn  my  butes. 
I'd  most  forgotten." 

So  saying,  Hiram  handed  to  his  outwardly  calm,  but 
inwardly  eager  and  excited,  listener,  a  piece  of  folded  paper 
which  had  a  variegated  appearance  from  contact  with  its 
soiled  hiding-place. 

"Good-by,  friend  Alf.  Mebbe  I'll  see  ee  again  purty 
soon." 

"  Stop,  stop,  Hiram,  you  must  have  some  supper  before 
you  go  ;  besides,  you  have  told  me  nothing  about  Elsie  yet. 
Come,  sit  down  and  tell  me  all  about  it." 

Hiram  looked  wistfully,  but  cunningly,  at  the  gentle- 
man, as  if  in  some  doubt ;  then  said,  steadily,  but  with  a 
certain  huskiness  in  his  voice  which  his  hearer  quickly  de- 
tected : 

"  Mebbe,  friend  Alf,  tother  side  of  the  lantern  '11  be  to 
thee  next  time.  Mebbe  not." 

At  this  moment  there  was  a  tap  at  the  door  and  a  voice 
said,  as  it  opened  a  little  : 


THE   RUSSIAN    REFUGEE.  59 

/" 

"  May  I  speak  with  you  a  moment,  Mr.  Hastings  ?  " 

"Certainly,  Mrs.  St.  Johns,"  said  the  host,  as  he  stepped 
into  the  hall.  "  I'll  be  back  in  a  minute,  Hiram,  make  your- 
self comfortable." 

"  Oh,  my  dear  friend,  I  heard  from  the  girl  that  horrid 
man  was  with  you,  and  I  could  not  rest.  Pardormez-moi, 
but  my  mother-heart  yearned  to  hear  news  of  the  dear  child. 
Have  you  heard  anything  ?  " 

"  Yes,  here  is  a  note  telling  me  she  is  much  better,  and 
that  she  hopes  to  be  able  to  walk  in  a  few  days." 

"But  surely  she  says  where  she  is,  and  urges  you  to 
come  and  see  her,  and  I  will  go  with  you,  and  the  girls,  and 
Roland ;  how  delightful  it  will  be." 

"My  dear  madam,  Hiram  will  not  tell  where  she  is, 
though  confessing  to  have  seen  her,  and  her  note  says  only 
what  I  have  told  you." 

"  Eefuses  to  tell  what  he  knows  !  The  ingrate !  the  mon- 
ster !  Let  me  see  him  !  I  will  get  the  truth  out  of  him. 
"Women  know  how  to  deal  with  men.  Please  let  me  go 
in?" 

And  without  waiting  for  yes  or  no,  the  lady  led  the  way 
into  the  room,  followed  by  the  rather  annoyed  Mr.  Hast- 
ings, who,  conscious  of  the  woodman's  peculiar  and  ob- 
stinate character,  expected  rather  evil  than  good  from  the 
interview. 

"  Hiram,  that  is  your  name,  is  it  not  ?  "  said  the  lady, 
putting  on  her  most  gracious  but  dignified  manner.  The 
trapper,  who  had  risen  on  her  entrance,  stood  in  all  his  sub- 
lime lankiness,  twirling  his  hat,  like  a  furry  benediction 
about  to  fall  on  a  penitent,  far  above  her  head. 

"  Hiram,  mem,  some  folks  calls  me,"  replied  the  trapper, 
looking  down  on  the  imperious  little  woman  beneath  him. 

"  Well,  Hiram,  sit  down.     I  want  to  talk  with  you." 

Hiram  dropped  into  his  chair  with  military  promptness, 
the  lady  also  seating  herself,  but  the  relative  disproportion 


60  THE   KUSSLAN   EEFUGEE. 

in  height  remained  about  the  same  as  before,  only  now  the 
picture  suggested  one  of  the  sitting  kings  of  Africa  re- 
ceiving a  visitor  of  some  importance,  who,  by  special  per- 
mission, was  allowed  a  seat.  The  trapper's  dress  and 
general  make  up — toute  ensemble,  as  the  good  lady  after- 
ward phrased  it — was  remarkable,  and  such  as  might  have 
suited  barbaric  notions  of  splendor.  For  on  this  occasion 
he  wore  a  fox-skin  coat  trimmed  with  faded  crimson,  and 
a  pair  of  very  ancient  hunting  boots.  His  cap  was  of 
raccoon,  peaked  in  shape,  with  a  large,  red,  woollen  bah1  on 
the  peak.  His  coal-black  locks,  streaming  over  the  marvel- 
lous length  of  head  and  neck,  coupled  with  the  grotesque 
smile,  meant  to  be  at  the  same  time  respectful  and  reassur- 
ing to  his  interviewer,  made  him  certainly  imposing. 

"  I  am  so  glad  you  have  seen  Miss  Hastings,  and  that 
she  is  well,  and  so  anxious  to  see  her  father  ;  and  so  we 
are  going  to  make  up  a  party  and  go  to-morrow  and  spend 
the  day  with  her,  and  we  want  you  to  go  with  us,  Hiram, 
as  you  know  the  road  best." 

The  trapper  smiled  with  great  superficial  length,  breadth, 
and  benignity  upon  the  voluble  speaker,  but  remained  at- 
tentively silent. 

"  I  should  judge  from  Miss  Elsie's  letter  to  her  father, 
that  the  gentleman  she  is  staying  with,  Mr. — Mi\ — what  is 
his  name,  Hiram,  I've  forgotten  it  ?  So  stupid  of  me,  too." 

"  So  hev  I,  mem,"  returned  the  woodsman,  with  auda- 
cious mendacity  ;  "  very  stoopid  of  me  too,  but  mebbe  it's 
in  the  letter." 

Mrs.  St.  Johns  raised  her  eyebrows. 

"  Such  singular  impertinence,"  she  said  to  herself.  "  I 
must  pursue  a  different  plan  with  this  creature."  So,  with 
her  most  impressive  tones  and  looks,  such  as  she  generally 
found  effectual  in  overawing  her  servants  : 

"  Hiram,  I  want  no  nonsense.  I  insist — insist,  remem- 
ber," and  here  she  held  up  the  forefinger  of  the  left  hand 


THE  RUSSIAN   KEFUGEE.  61 

significantly  toward  him — "  that  you  tell  me  at  once  the 
name  of  the  gentleman  and  the  place  where  Miss  Elsie  is 
staying." 

The  mountaineer's  countenance  assumed  a  comically 
alarmed  appearance. 

"  Yer  said  yer'd  forgotten  the  name,  mem — mebbe  yer'll 
'member  it  after  awhile,  an'  then  yer  kin  hev  the  picnic." 

"  This  is  intolerable,"  said  the  indignant  lady.  "  Really, 
Mr.  Hastings,  we  shall  be  compelled  to  use  harsher  meas- 
ures with  this — this  person." 

"  Do  you  know,  my  good  man,  that  you  can  be  arrested 
and  imprisoned  for  refusing  to  tell  where  Miss  Hastings  is 
detained.  You  can  be  put  in  the  State's  prison  for  ab- 
duction" and  she  emphasized  the  word,  looking  keenly  at 
the  curious  visage,  looming  above  with  its  merry,  twinkling 
eyes,  and  half-respectful,  half-obstinate  expression. 

"  Mebbe  I  kin,  mem  ;  haow  long  do  yer  recken  it'd  be, 
inem  ?  "  and  here  he  looked  down  on  her  proud,  vexed  face 
with  an  appearance  of  eager  curiosity,  and  profound  faith 
in  what  she  was  about  to  answer. 

"For  your  lifetime — as  long  as  you  shall  live,"  she  said, 
solemnly,  delighted  to  think  that  perhaps  he  was  yielding. 

"  Thet's  a  long  time,  mem — a  big  while.  "Wall,  I  be  ris- 
ing fifty,  an'  I  recken,  mebbe,  if  some  darned  critter  or 
suthin'  don't  get  hold  of  me,  mebbe  I'll  live  to  be  ninety  or 
mebbe  a  hunderd.  Grand'ther  lived  to  a  hunderd,  and 
t'other  grand'ther  rising,  suthing  like  ninety.  Recken, 
Hiram,  yer  hit  ninety,"  as  if  making  the  calculation  with 
himself.  "So,  mem,  mebbe  I'll  hev  to  be  'prisoned  for 
forty  year.  Yer'll  let  Gretchen  live  with  me,  won't  yer  ?  " 

His  face  wore  such  an  expression  of  simple  candor,  that 
although  she  could  not  think  the  reply  was  sarcastic,  yet 
she  felt  uncomfortable  in  the  presence  of  this  rustic,  and 
impelled  to  change  her  position  of  attack  and  coercion  to 
one  more  conciliatory. 


62  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

"  I  know  how  fond  you  are  of  Elsie,"  she  said,  dropping 
the  JMiss  with  an  inward  protest,  but  yet  wishing  to  gain 
his  confidence,  and  in  some  way,  fair  or  foul,  touch  the 
heart  of  this  savage,  "  and  Mr.  Hastings  has  the  greatest 
faith  in  your  honesty  and  fidelity,  and  I  am  sure  you  would 
not  wish  to  keep  father  and  daughter  apart.  You  know 
they  have  never  been  separated,  and  it  is  very  cruel.  I  didn't 
think  you  could  do  it ; "  and  here  the  elegant  cambric  went 
gracefully  to  one  eye,  its  fellow  meanwhile  watching  the 
effect  of  the  dramatic  attempt. 

Poor  Hiram  looked  bewildered.  He  seemed  visibly 
touched  when  she  spoke  of  the  faith  of  the  father  and 
daughter  in  him,  but  the  climax  of  the  appeal  was  too  much. 
He  sprang  from  his  chair  as  if  electrified  and  looked  into 
the  distance  as  if  he  saw  a  "  critter"  ready  to  pounce  upon 
him. 

"Darn  my  butes,"  and  then  he  stopped  suddenly  with  a 
guilty  look,  and  stammered,  "  I  mean  durn.  Wall,  mem, 
you  know  how  I  love  Miss  Elsie,  and  friend  Alf,  and  Hugo 
and  Ponto,  and  everything  belonging  to  her.  And  dang 
me  if  I  wouldn't  fit  two  weights  of  her  in  cats  to  keep  her 
right ;  but  mem,"  and  here  the  honest  fellow's  voice  became 
tremulous,  "  Hiram  niver  telled  a  lie,  an'  I  hev  giv  the 
word  to  the  old  man."  Here  he  turned  saying,  "  Me  an' 
Gretchen'll  be  ready  for  the  prison,  mem.  Ef  you  wants 
Hiram,  friend  Alf,  thee  knows  where  he  hangs  up."  And 
the  trapper's  tall  form  flashed  out  of  the  room. 

Mr.  Hastings  laughed  heartily  :  "  A  rustic  philosopher. 
I  really  thought  at  one  moment  there,  that  you  had  con- 
quered, but  I  ought  to  have  known  better." 

"  I  really  think  the  brute  was  laughing  at  me  about  the 
prison,"  returned  the  lady,  looking  considerably  chagrined 
at  her  signal  failure.  "Well,  we  got  something  from  him 
at  any  rate.  It's  an  old  man  who  has  Elsie  in  charge.  I  was 
really  afraid  that  there  might  be  a  young  one  in  the  case." 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  63 

The  gentleman  looked  annoyed. 

"  You  do  not  think,  Mrs.  St.  Johns,  that  Elsie  has  been 
deceiving  me  in  the  past,  and  that  this  present  episode  is 
merely  a  ruse.  If  so,  you  do  not  know  my  child." 

"  Oh  no,  my  dear  sir  ;  but  you  know  young  women  at  her 
age  have  fancies,  and  do  not  tell  everything  to  their  parents. 
Even  my  dear  girls  do  not  tell  me  quite  all.  At  least,"  she 
added,  as  if  having  admitted  too  much,  "I  sometimes  fancy 
so." 

Mr.  St.  Johns  entered  here,  and  was  informed  of  the  in- 
terview with  the  trapper. 

"  He  would  be  an  ugly  witness  on  the  stand.  You  can 
do  very  little  with  such  men.  However,  this  letter  is  proof 
positive  that  he  knows  all  about  it,  and  that  Miss  Elsie  is 
safe." 

"I  can  see  she  writes  under  restrictions,  and  not  in  the 
full,  free,  frank  way  that  she  always  has  written  to  me  when 
temporarily  away  from  home,"  said  Mr.  Hastings.  "  There 
is  some  mystery  here,  and  although  I  have  faith  in  Hiram, 
and  feel  satisfied  that  in  some  way  or  other  his  hands  have 
been  tied  too,  yet  I  don't  like  the  thought  of  any  one  pre- 
suming to  hold  such  control  over  my  child  even  if  she  may 
be  under  obligations  to  them."  The  gentleman  spoke  with 
more  warmth  than  was  his  wont,  probably  under  the  irri- 
tation of  Mrs.  St.  Johns'  insinuations  that  Elsie  herself 
might  be  partly  in  fault.  An  only  child,  and  that  child  a 
daughter,  the  representative  of  an  idolized  wife,  his  com- 
panion, and,  as  he  often  told  himself,  the  best  part  of  his 
life — how  could  he  for  a  moment  suppose  that  she  could  in 
any  way  deceive  him.  Mrs.  St.  Johns'  remarks  had  jarred 
his  already — on  account  of  the  recent  occurrence — acutely 
sensitive  nervous  system,  and  he  felt  and  showed  an  im- 
patience which  was  foreign  to  his  usually  placid  and 
self-contained  nature.  Acting  under  the  impulse  of  his 
present  mood,  Mr.  Hastings  listened  to  his  friend  so  far  as 


64  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

to  offer  a  liberal  reward  to  the  officers  from  tlie  neighbor- 
ing town,  who  were  already  tiying  to  ferret  out  some  clue  to 
the  robber  of  the  desk,  if  they  should  succeed  in  bringing 
him  any  information  relative  to  Elsie's  place  of  detention. 

"  Mark  you,  I  do  not  authorize  you  to  take  any  steps  in 
case  of  your  finding  my  daughter.  There  may  be  good 
reason  for  this  reticence,  and  I  would  not  willingly  wrong 
those  who  have  certainly  befriended  her,  and,  for  aught  I 
know,  saved  her  life.  I  only  ask  you  to  discover  her  where- 
abouts and  inform  me." 

The  officers,  prompted  by  Mrs.  St.  Johns,  urged  that  au- 
thority should  be  given  them  to  bring  the  young  lady  home 
in  case  she  were  willing  ;  but  Mr.  Hastings  was  obstinate  on 
the  point,  having  a  latent  belief  that  his  daughter  was  actu- 
ated by  proper  motives  in  concealing  her  residence,  and  that 
there  might  be  no  coercion  about  it.  The  two  constables 
felt  certain  that,  with  their  minute  knowledge  of  the  country, 
they  would  soon  be  able  to  claim  the  reward,  and  departed 
in  high  spirits. 


CHAPTER  Vtt 

"OH!    BRAVE    NEW  WORLD,    THAT    HAS     SUCH    PEOPLE 
EN'T." 

"  SIAVA  BOGU,"  said  Elsie  to  herself,  as  Nadia  and  her 
daughter  entered.  ' '  I  suppose  that  means  good-day  or  good- 
iroming,  or  something  of  the  kind,  so  she  responded  smil- 
ingly, "  Slava  Bogu."  The  two  Russians  looked  surprised 
and  pleased  together,  and  exchanged  smiling  glances  with 
each  other.  She  by  no  means  felt  satisfied  that  she  had 
put  the  right  meaning  into  the  words  ;  but,  at  any  rate,  it 
had  been  an  attempt  at  a  conversation  in  their  own  tongue, 
and  that  was  something.  In  a  very  brief  time  her  morning 
toilet  was  accomplished,  and  she  in  the  big  easy-chair  by  the 
glowing  fire.  In  a  few  moments  a  nicely  served  and  cooked 
breakfast  came  in,  two  of  the  dishes  being  entirely  new  to 
her,  but  of  pleasant  taste,  especially  one  of  them,  a  sort  of 
delicate  pastry,  which  looked  very  foreign  to  her,  and  proved 
on  tasting  it  to  be  savor}7,  instead  of  sweet,  as  she  had  sus- 
pected. Sophia  waited  on  her  assiduously,  and  seemed  de- 
lighted to  keep  her  well  attended  to. 

Seizing  the  child's  hand  as  she  stood  near  her  she  said, 
"  Now,  Sophia,  tell  me  something  about  yourself.  How  old 
are  you  ?  "  The  little  maiden  shook  her  head  at  first,  and 
then  her  countenance  brightened,  and  she  answered,  in  her 
faltering  English,  "  Of  twelve  years."  Encouraged  by  this 
success  she  ventured  next,  "And  were  you  born  here?" 
But  now  she  failed,  for  the  child  did  not  or  would  not  un- 
derstand her.  So  she  looked  around  the  room  and  then 
5 


66  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

said  inquiringly,  "  What  is  the  name — name  of  this  place  ?  " 
'•Home,"  was  the  response,  in  the  most  smiling,  unaffected 
way  possible.  It  was  no  evasion,  Elsie  felt,  it  was  the  child's 
home,  and  perhaps  she  had  no  other  word  for  it.  Alex,  the 
hound,  here  strolled  leisurely  in  to  pay  his  morning  respects 
to  the  guest,  and  gave  at  once  a  topic  for  conversation,  in 
which  Russian  and  English  were  comically  mixed.  How- 
ever, each  learned  some  words  of  the  other's  language  and 
felt  well  satisfied.  When,  a  short  time  after,  Alex's  master 
entered  the  room  he  found  his  patient  looking  very  bright 
and  happy. 

"And  how  is  the  dear  child  this  morning? "he  said, 
kindly,  laying  his  hand  on  her  head.  "  You  have  slept  well, 
I  see,  and  feel  well,  I  ti*ust  ?  "  Elsie  assured  him  she  never 
felt  better  in  her  life,  and  inquired  eagerly  when  she  would 
be  fit  to  travel. 

"Are  you  so  weary  of  us  already?  I  hope  Nadia  and 
Sophia  have  done  their  duty  by  you?  " 

"  Weary !  oh,  no  ;  but  I  am  naturally  anxious  about  home. 
Remember,  or  perhaps  you  do  not  know,  I  am  an  only 
child,  and  have  never  been  long  away  from  home  before." 

"  But  you  have  not  been  long  away.  This  is  only  the 
third  day,  and  your  father  knows  you  are  safe." 

"Ah,  if  he  really  knew  where  I  am  he  would  be  satisfied  ; 
but  he  does  not  know,"  she  said,  looking  at  him  timidly. 

"  But,  my  daughter,  your  father  will  not  be  very  sad,  not 
so  sad  as  you  think,  for  he  trusts  his  child,  and  your  letter 
would  comfort  him  even  if  it  did  not  tell  him  all.  Mr. 
Hastings  is  a  good  man,  and  good  men  do  not  indulge  idle 
fears." 

"Do  not  think  I  am  ungrateful  for  an  instant,  and  Nadia 
and  Sophia  have  been  so  kind,  and  I  will  try  to  be  quite 
contented  as  long  as  you  think  it  necessary  for  me  to  stay 
in  your  house.  But  I  feel  as  if  I  was  casting  the  burden 
of  my  helpless  condition  upon  strangers,  which  I  have  no 


THE   RUSSIAN   EEFUGEE.  67 

right  to  do.  How  can  I  ever  repay  you  for  your  kind  care 
of  rne  ?" 

He  looked  at  her  with  those  piercing  eyes,  as  if  to  read 
her  sincerity,  as  written  on  the  inner  tablets  of  the  soul,  and 
then,  apparently  satisfied,  replied  : 

"  Kindness  when  it  comes  from  the  heart  can  only  be 
repaid  in  one  coin — kindness.  If  you  think  I  have  been 
helpful  to  you,  be  helpful  to  some  one  else.  Be  kind  to 
some  brother  or  sister  of  the  great  human  family  of  which 
we  form  a  part.  All  the  great  prophets  of  the  race  have 
taught  this." 

In  the  mixed  glow  of  the  sunlight  and  firelight,  he  looked 
indeed  like  one  of  the  prophet^  he  spoke  of,  and  his  words 
came  to  her  like  the  words  of  inspiration.  Both  remained 
silent  a  moment  and  then  he  resumed  cheerfully,  "  Yet  I 
am  forgetting  how  naturally  curious  you  must  be  to  know 
something  about  us.  It  has  been  a  great  trial  to  be  so  un- 
expectedly thrown  among  strangers,  and  such  peculiar 
strangers,  too.  It  has,  I  regret  to  say,  been  necessary  to 
be  reticent  to  you,  but  some  things  I  can  tell  you,  and  I 
will  trust  to  your  honor  that  you  will  hold  my  confidence 
sacred  until  I  tell  you  to  speak.  I  ask  no  promise,"  seeing 
she  was  about  to  reply,  "  I  simply  trust  you."  She 
pressed  his  hand.  It  was  a  tacit  compact,  but  binding  on 
a  nature  like  Elsie's  like  ten  thousand  oaths.  "  You  may 
have  certain  suspicions  while  here,  but  you  will  not  put 
those  suspicions  in  words.  First,  then,  what  sort  of  a  house 
have  you  got  into?  I  know  you  must  have  wondered  at  the 
curious  ceiling  or  roof,  and  the  absence  of  windows,  and 
the  singular  way  in  which  the  sunlight  comes  in  to  greet 
us  this  morning."  She  smiled  assent  and  acknowledged 
that  it  had  puzzled  her  very  much,  and  internally  felt  just 
a  little  compunctious  that  she  had  tried  indirectly  to  obtain 
information  from  the  little  maiden,  which  he  had  intended 
to  give  her  when  he  thought  best.  He  smiled  so  pleasantly 


68  THE   EUSSIAN   KEFUGEE. 

and  intelligently  at  her  as  this  came  to  her  mind,  that  she  felt 
certain  that  he  read  her  thought,  and  colored  under  his  gaze. 

"You  need  not  feel  ashamed,  my  dear,"  he  said  quietly, 
"it  was  very  natural,  the  instinct  of  self-preservation,  to 
try  and  know  your  surroundings.  You  shall  see  where  you 
are."  Here,  clapping  his  hands  together,  Nadia  glided  into 
the  room,  and  at  a  word  from  the  Patriarch,  for  this  was 
the  name  Elsie  mentally  gave  him,  drew  out  a  slight 
basket  chair  on  easy  running  wheels,  from  behind  a  curtain. 
The  guest  was  quickly  and  easily  transferred  to  this,  and 
the  old  man  leading  the  way,  was  pushed  by  Nadia  in  the 
direction  from  which  the  sunlight  came.  In  a  moment  she 
found  herself  in  another  room,  or  rather  it  was  a  continua- 
tion of  the  same  room  only  much  wider  and  higher,  open- 
ing like  a  huge  funnel,  from  the  narrow  end  which  termin- 
ated the  apartment  she"  had  quitted,  to  the  larger  end  which 
seemed  lost  in  sky  and  foliage. 

"  What  an  immense  window,"  she  involuntarily  exclaimed. 
The  leader  smiled. 

"  Yes,  my  daughter,  a  window  framed  and  glazed  by  the 

Divine  Architect,  who  likewise  built  the  house.  See " 

and  the  chair  suddenly  stopped  in  the  centre  of  the  "  win- 
dow "  which  she  now  perceived  had  neither  frame  nor  glass, 
and  a  vast  ravine  spread  out  before  the  startled  vision  of  the 
maiden.  Her  amazed  eyes  looked  down  hundreds  of  feet 
below,  for  she  saw  she  was  on  the  very  edge  of  a  precipice. 
Shrinking  back  in  the  chair,  she  looked  up  at  the  smiling 
face  of  her  companion  with  wonder  and  awe  depicted  in 
every  feature  of  her  expressive  countenance. 

"  Be  not  alarmed,  my  daughter,  the  floor  on  which  you 
rest  is  the  eternal  rock  on  which  the  world  is  framed. 
Look  abroad,  grandeur  and  beauty  are  there.  With  your 
young  eyes  you  ought  to  be  able  to  see  much  that  es- 
capes my  dimmer  vision."  Her  glance  passed  through  the 
mighty  crevasse  with  its  innumerable  trees  and  stupen- 


THE  RUSSIAN  EEFUGEE.  69 

dous  piles  of  rock  and  cliff,  on,  on,  until  it  rested  on  the 
tall  mountains,  miles  and  miles  away,  and  one  peak  proudly 
appeared  above  them  all,  bathed  in  the  morning  sunshine. 
As  she  gazed  a  sudden  glance  of  recognition  came  over  her 
face,  she  bent  forward  coloring  with  eagerness. 

"  Surely  not,  but  yet  it  is,  it  is,  Big  Ben.  I  cannot  be 
mistaken  ? "  she  turned  questioningly  to  the  patriarch. 
His  smile  reassured  her.  "  Oh,  how  glorious !  that  point 
and  that  huge  tree — they  come  back  as  in  a  dream,  so  like 
and  yet  so  unlike  ;  everything  seems  turned  round,  and  yet 
this  must  be  the  Big  Ravine." 

"It  is  the  ravine,  but  I  hardly  thought  you  would  recog- 
nize it  so  quickly,  seeing  it  from  a  new  standpoint." 
After  a  moment's  silence  he  said,  "  You  must  not  tire  your- 
self, suppose  we  go  in  ?" 

She  begged  for  another  look,  and  again  feasted  her  eyes 
on  the  splendid  panorama. 

"  Oh,  thank  you,  what  a  treat,  now  I  feel  at  home,  but, 
but,"  and  here  a  puzzled  look  was  turned  on  him,  as  she 
glanced  above  and  below  curiously.  "  Where  are  we  liv- 
ing ?  What  sort  of  a  funny  house  is  this  ?  It  seems  built 
in  the  wall  or  on  the  very  edge  of  the  ravine  ?  " 

He  laughed  quietly  at  her  seeming  perplexity. 

"Yes,  it  is  built  in  the  wall  of  the  ravine,  a  building 
planned  by  a  wonderful  Architect,  and  erected  by  a  Builder 
whose  foundations  are  sure.  My  child,"  taking  her  hands 
paternally  in  his  and  looking  at  her  fixedly,  but  with  that 
tender,  winning  smile  which  had  already  won  her  perfect 
confidence,  "You  are  living  in  a  cave  !"  Although  in  a 
sense  half  prepared  for  this  announcement,  yet  Elsie  was 
profoundly  astonished. 

"  In  a  cave !  "  she  exclaimed,  "  and  so  near  the  ravine 
and  I  never  heard  of  it.  And  is  it  large  ?  Oh,  how  delight- 
ful it  will  be  to  explore  it,"  she  went  on,  as  she  was  being 
wheeled  back  to  the  inner  room. 


70  THE   RUSSIAN   EEFUGEE. 

"  Yes,  mjk  clear,  it  is  very  large  and  very  curious,  and  as 
soon  as  possible  you  shall  see  as  much  as  is  safe  to  explore. 
Is  this  your  first  visit  to  an  underground  house  ?  " 

"  Yes,  indeed,  I  have  often  heard  of  them,  but  never  saw 
one  before.  And  have  you  lived  here  long  ?  " 

"Longer  than  you  could  suppose.  This  has  been  my 
home  over  fifty  years." 

"Fifty  years,"  she  echoed,  involuntarily.  "Why,  that 
has  been  nearly  all  your  life  ?  " 

"No,  little  one,"  he  said,  with  a  tinge  of  sadness,  almost 
of  tiredness,  in  his  voice  ;  "I  am  very  old,  much  older  than 
you  think." 

His  eyes  closed,  and  he  seemed  to  be  communing  with 
himself,  and  with  the  closure  of  those  magnetic  eyes  she 
noticed  that  his  face  did  look  very  aged,  although  fresh 
and  healthy.  Then  brightening  up  and  resuming  : 

"  Pardon  me,  my  young  friend,  but  your  questions  threw 
me  back  into  other  days.  I  was  thinking  of  the  past.  Old 
men  must  be  allowed  that  privilege  occasionally.  It  be- 
longs to  bright  youth  to  live  entirely  in  the  present.  But 
old  age  need  not  be  pensive  or  gloomy  even  if  it  does  claim 
the  prerogative  of  wandering  into  half-forgotten  fields  now 
and  then." 

"  Oh,  I  never  could  imagine  you  to  be  either  sad  or 
gloomy  for  a  moment.  Indeed,  fits  of  contemplation  and 
reverie  come  over  me  frequently.  So  they  don't  belong  to 
any  age  exclusively." 

"  Was  it  in  one  of  those  fits  of  abstraction  that  you  fell 
over  the  cliff?  "  he  asked,  with  a  mischievous  glance. 

"No,  indeed,"  and  then  she  related  all  the  incidents 
connected  with  her  accident,  up  to  the  time  of  losing  con- 
sciousness. He  listened  attentively  and  sympathetically 
until  she  concluded,  only  putting  an  occasional  question 
to  help  the  narrative. 

"  My  dear  child,"  he  said,  impressively ;  "  how  thankful  I 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  71 

feel  that  our  attention  was  drawn  to  you  so  early,  for  there 
have  been  some  ferocious  looking  wild  cats  seen  in  the 
ravine  from  time  to  time,  and  your  peril  would  have  been 
great  indeed  if  one  of  them  had  scented  you  while  lying 
insensible." 

She  paled  a  little  at  the  words,  and  slightly  shuddered, 
then  turned  to  him  and  said  : 

"Please  tell  me  now  how  you  came  to  save  me,  and  who 
helped  you  ?  Believe  me,  I  am  not  ungrateful,  whatever  I 
may  seem,"  and  here  the  emotion  which  she  strove  bravely 
to  control  showed  itself  by  the  tears  which  wetted  her 
cheeks. 

"  You  have  not  yet  recovered  your  normal  strength,  my 
child,  but  after  you  have  dined,  if  you  still  feel  well  and  so 
desire,  I  will  relate  what  you  ask." 

So  saying  he  pressed  her  hand  gently  and  left  the 
room.  Sophia  came  in  shortly  after,  evidently  sent  to  keep 
her  company,  indeed  the  little  Kussian  intimated  as  much, 
and  they  spent  a  pleasant  hour  trying  to  impart  their  re- 
spective languages  to  each  other.  Elsie  found  the  pro- 
nunciation of  the  Slavonian  tongue  easier  than  she  had 
hoped,  but  yet  she  almost  despaired  of  ever  conquering 
some  of  the  sounds  which  the  young  girl  rattled  off  so  glibly. 
No  such  trouble  was  experienced  on  the  other  side,  for  the 
child  could  give  almost  any  English  sound  at  the  first  at- 
tempt, and  showed  marked  linguistic  ability.  It  was  de- 
lightful work,  and  Nadia  summoned  her  daughter  to  carry 
in  the  patient's  lunch  before  they  were  aware  that  the  hour 
of  noon  had  arrived. 

"So  we  are  living  in  a  cavern,  Sophia ? "  said  Elsie, 
pointing  to  the  roof.  "  Were  you  born  here  ?  " 

The  girl  laughed  gleefully,  but  the  answer  in  Russian 
was  not  intelligible. 

"What  an  adventure  to  be  sure,  living  in  a  cave  like  the 
early  men  I  used  to  read  of  in  the  library.  Let  me  see, 


72  THE   RUSSIAN  KEFUGEE. 

they  were  called  the  Cave  dwellers,  yes  that  was  it.  I  won- 
der if  the  Patriarch  is  one  of  them,  he  looks  nearly  old 
enough.  But  he  is  a  dear,  good  man,  and  I  am  growing 
quite  fond  of  him.  Those  curious  looking  formations  hang- 
ing from  the  roof  must  be  the  stalagmites  I  have  read  of, 
or  stalagtites,  which  is  it  I  wonder  ?  I  must  ask  my  Patri- 
arch doctor.  Now,  foot,  you  must  get  well,  so  that  I  can 
explore  these  subterranean  rooms.  What  fun  it  will  be. 
How  I  wish  father  could  be  with  me,  but  no,  I  dare  not 
ask."  And  she  seemed  to  remember  the  peculiar  look  she 
received  when  she  asked  that  her  father  be  permitted  to 
come  and  see  her  before.  All  this  was  uttered  aloud  in  a 
sort  of  half  soliloquy  during  her  dinner,  the  little  maiden 
flitting  to  and  fro,  delighted  with  the  privilege  of  serving 
her,  and  smiling  response  to  her  talk,  as  if  she  knew  every 
word  she  was  saying. 

When  the  host  of  the  cave  mansion  made  his  next  visit 
to  his  guest  and  patient,  he  pronounced  the  foot  so  much 
better  that  she  was  allowed  to  put  it  down  a  few  minutes 
at  a  time  when  she  felt  inclined. 

"  You  are  so  strong  and  vigorous,  my  dear,  that  you  soon 
regain  lost  power,  but  we  will  go  to  the  mouth  of  the  cave 
where  you  were  this  morning  as  the  afternoon  is  pleasant, 
and  wrapped  in  this  fox  robe  you  will  take  no  cold." 

So  she  was  conveyed  as  before  to  the  point  of  view  she 
had  occupied  in  the  morning. 

"Do  you  see  diagonally  across  the  ravine  southeast  from 
us,  the  big  flat  rock  you  call  '  Table  Kock  ? ' " 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  do  see  it  plainly,  why  that  is  where  I  fell 
from,  or  rather  from  a  point  about  twenty  feet  below." 

"Yes,  that  is  correct,  and  I  will  now  try  and  explain  to 
you  how  I  came  to  have  you  for  my  welcome  guest  and  pa- 
tient. On  that  afternoon  Alex,  our  dog,  that  you  saw  yes- 
terday, was  prowling  along  the  edge  of  the  ravine  here,  for 
he  is  wonderfully  sure-footed  and  makes  his  way  deep  down 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  73 

into  the  depth  by  a  pathway  of  his  own.  On  this  occasion 
he  was  attracted  evidently  by  the  landslide  which  carried 
you  down.  He  has  singularly  keen  sight  and  hearing,  and 
he  became  very  much  excited.  No  doubt  the  dog  supposed 
it  was  some  large  animal  making  the  disturbance.  How- 
ever, he  made  so  much  noise  and  seemed  so  terribly  in  earn- 
est that  I  told  Adolph  to  take  the  field-glass,  a  very  ppwer- 
ful  one  which  I  brought  from  St.  Petersburg  with  me,  and 
proceed  to  what  we  call  the  observatory,  from  which  we  can 
see  the  greater  part  of  the  ravine  and  the  glen  beyond. 
He  returned  in  about  half  an  hour  and  reported  that  there 
had  been  a  slide,  and  that  he  could  plainly  distinguish  a 
human  figure,  he  thought  a  woman,  lying  in  the  broken 
mass  of  earth  and  trees.  Having  full  confidence  in  his  good 
judgment  and  visual  power,  for  he  has  the  unerring  sight 
of  a  mountaineer  for  long  distances,  I  resolved  to  make  the 
attempt  at  rescue.  It  was  a  dangerous  and  difficult  un- 
dertaking. Of  course  "we  might  have  gone  round  and 
reached  you  from  the  other  side  of  the  ravine,  or  we  might 
have  roused  the  people  near  and  secured  assistance.  But 
we  are  peculiarly  situated  here,  as  no  doubt  you  begin  to 
understand,  and  neither  of  these  plans  would  have  been 
feasible  to  render  the  immediate  assistance  which  one  pos- 
sibly seriously  injured  might  require.  Besides,  I  am  too 
old  to  have  accompanied  Adolph,  and  he  could  not  have 
acted  alone.  Only  two  hours  of  daylight  remained  to  us 
and  something  must  be  done  at  once.  You  know  the  ra- 
vine narrows  opposite  the  table  rock  so  that  it  is  not  more 
than  two  or  three  hundred  feet  across.  Yet  at  that  point 
is  the  deepest  part  of  the  entire  gorge.  Now,  some  years 
ago  when  Adolph  used  to  be  out  hunting  and  trapping  on 
the  other  side  of  the  ravine,  he  would  at  close  of  day  find 
himself  compelled  to  walk  five  or  six  miles  heavily  burdened 
with  game,  while  his  home  was  only  about  a  stone's  throw 
directly  across  the  ravine.  To  find  some  way  of  bridging 


74  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

the  chasm  was  the  problem,  and  finally  together  we  solved 
it.  I  had  spent  two  years  among  the  Swiss  mountaineers, 
after  leaving  my  native  country  and  before  coming  to  this  con- 
tinent, and  had  often  observed  them  in  their  ingenious  de- 
vices for  crossing  crevasses  and  chasms.  "Without  wearying 
you  with  details  which  might  not  be  interesting,  I  will  say 
that  we  constructed  a  wire  cable  reaching  from  one  side  of 
the  Big  Ravine  at  the  narrow  part  to  the  other.  The  end  on 
the  far  side  being  higher  than  the  one  on  this.  From  this 
cable  a  strong  basket  was  made  to  run  suspended,  and  so 
Adolph  is  able  to  go  back  and  forward  as  suits  him.  Of 
course  none  but  a  mountaineer  or  a  sailor  could  attempt  it, 
but  he  has  been  both  and  has  no  fear.  It  was  by  this  road 
that  we  determined  to  fetch  you,  not  knowing  as  yet  who 
you  were,  only  conscious  that  a  feUow-being  needed  instant 
help.  It  was  decided  that  Adolph  and  Nadia  should  go 
over  together,  and  I  was  to  give  the  help  needed  in  assist- 
ing you  up  here." 

Elsie  had  listened  with  almost  breathless  attention,  only 
showing  her  intense  interest  by  frequent  starts  and  alter- 
nate flushing  and  paling,  but  here  she  could  restrain  herself 
no  longer. 

"  Oh,  surely,"  she  said,  bursting  into  tears  and  laying  a 
hand  upon  the  arm  of  the  narrator  ;  "  surely  Nadia  did  not 
make  such  a  dreadful  trip.  How  could  she  ?  " 

"  Eussian  women  of  Nadia's  blood  fear  nothing,"  said  the 
old  man,  proudly.  "Besides  she  is  remarkably  strong  and 
active.  When  you  hear  more  of  her  life  and  what  she  has 
been  through,  this  will  seem  a  mere  nothing.  But  we  had 
better  go  to  the  fire  as  it  is  becoming  chilly." 

When  comfortably  seated  by  the  fire  the  exciting  narra- 
tive was  resumed. 

"Some  time  Nadia  or  Adolph  may  tell  you  how  they 
managed  to  sling  you,  wrapped  in  a  bear  skin,  from  the 
point  where  they  found  you  lying  motionless,  to  the  place 


THE   RUSSIAN    REFUGEE.  75 

some  sixty  feet  below,  leading  by  a  path  to  the  basket.  It 
was  hard  work,  but  they  did  it  and  did  it  bravely  and  well, 
as  your  living  presence  here  to-night  testifies.  On  this  side 
we  had  to  raise  you  up  about  one  hundred  feet,  but  we 
have  been  doing  it  for  Adolph  for  the  past  five  years  once 
or  twice  a  week  during  the  season,  so  it  was  soon  accom- 
plished. Sophia  and  I  attended  to  that.  I  need  not  tell 
you  how  astonished  and  gratified  I  was  to  find  I  had  been 
instrumental,  under  the  Divine  guidance,  in  rescuing  the 
daughter  of  Mr.  Hastings,  of  The  Hermitage,  for  whom  I 
have  a  profound  respect." 

"  What  a  grateful  girl  I  ought  to  be  for  such  courage 
and  kindness.  I  must  thank  Nadia  and  the  other  kind 
brave  friend.  When  may  I  do  so  ?  " 

"Nadia  and  I  are  thanked  already  by  the  pleasure  of 
having  you  with  us,  and  Adolph  will  be  happy  to  pay  his 
respects  to  you  to-morrow,  perhaps.  But  you  have  had 
excitement  enough  for  one  day  and  so  I  will  say  good- 
night," and  giving  her  his  hand  with  all  the  innate  good- 
ness and  geniality  of  his  nature  beaming  from  the  vener- 
able face,  he  left  the  room. 

Elsie  was  so  excited  by  the  story  of  her  rescue  that  she 
could  scarcely  taste  the  delicate  little  supper  which  Sophia 
brought  in,  greatly  to  that  young  woman's  annoyance,  who 
manifested  her  vexation  by  making  use  of  a  number  of 
frightfully  long  words  in  the  language  which  Elsie  was  be- 
ginning to  like  very  much  indeed.  Liking  a  language  not 
our  mother  tongue  consists  largely  in  liking  the  people 
who  first  use  it  in  our  hearing.  At  least  this  is  a  not  in- 
frequent experience.  Before  the  time  for  retiring  arrived, 
when  Elsie  knew  that  Nadia  would  appear,  she  could  not 
resist  the  temptation  to  send  for  her  so  as  to  thank  her  for 
her  courage  and  kindness  in  the  rescue. 

They  understood  each  other  although  very  little  intelligi- 
ble language  passed  between  them.  Elsie  acted  the  whole 


76  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

thing  out  in  pantomime  and  ended  by  kissing  her  warmly, 
and  Sophia  too,  greatly  to  that  little  lady's  delight,  who 
kept  up  a  chatter  in  the  expressive  vernacular  of  her 
mother's  land. 

The  one  thought  now  with  Elsie  was  to  see  and  tell  her 
father  all  that  had  happened  to  her  and  to  find  out  the 
under  history  of  her  benefactors,  and  try  to  reward  them 
in  some  way.  But  sandwiched  between  these  thoughts 
another  would  obtrude  itself,  and  appear  and  reappear  in 
the  rath'er  mixed  dreams  which  came  to  her  when  she  did 
finally  fall  asleep.  It  was  the  imaginary  face  and  form  of 
the  hero  who  had  dared  so  much  for  her.  Adolph,  who 
and  what  was  he,  and  what  relation  did  he  bear  to  Nadia, 
and  Sophia,  and  the  Patriarch  ?  This  hero  did  trouble  her 
sleep  and  appear  in  a  score  of  facial  contortions  through 
the  visions  of  the  night. 


CHAPTER  VEI. 

SUNSHINE  AGAIN. 

"  HERE  you  are,  Mrs.  St.  Johns.  I  have  been  looking  for 
you  everywhere.  Here  is  a  letter  from  my  nephew  in 
London,  and  he  desires  to  be  kindly  remembered  to  you, 
as  I  had  told  him  in  a  former  letter  that  you  would 
probably  be  with  us  about  this  time." 

"  He  is  very  thoughtful  to  remember  us  amid  all  the  dis- 
tractions of  London  life.  How  is  he  getting  on  ?  " 

"  He  writes  very  cheerfully,  and  alludes  jocularly  to 
another  adventure  he  has  had  at  the  Thompson's  Villa, 
some  twenty  miles  or  so  out  of  the  city." 

"An  adventure,  how  delightful,  do  tell  us  about  it,  Mr. 
Hastings,"  said  the  elder  Miss  St.  Johns,  gaily. 

"If  it  is  not  a  family  secret,"  remarked  Alfarina. 

"  Of  course  I  meant  that,  Alf,"  returned  the  elder,  slightly 
piqued.  "  Mr.  Hastings  understood  me,  I  am  sure." 

"  Certainly,  and  there  are  no  secrets,  I  assure  you,"  and 
here  the  gentleman  gave  a  graphic  description  of  the  inci- 
dent as  narrated  in  the  letter.  It  appeared  that  on  a  recent 
occasion,  while  spending  a  few  days  at  the  Yews  Villa, 
Seaman  had  accompanied  Miss  Thompson  on  a  walking  ex- 
cursion, and  that  while  returning  somewhat  belated,  cross- 
ing a  piece  of  lonely  common  or  moor,  they  had  been 
accosted  by  a  couple  of  sturdy  tramps  demanding  alms. 
This  being  refused,  one  of  the  fellows  addressed  a  rude  ob- 
servation to  the  young  lady,  and  was  promptly  knocked 
down  by  her  companion.  The  two  roughs,  who  were  armed 


78  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

with  cudgels,  then  attacked  him,  and  "  for  a  brief  season," 
to  use  his  expression,  "  the  air  was  merry  with  strife." 
Fortunately  the  American  carried  a  trusty  bit  of  blackthorn, 
and  was  an  expert  in  handling  it,  being  familiar  with 
broadsword  exercise.  Yet  it  was  doubtful  how  the  affair 
might  have  ended,  the  assailants  being  stout  and  active,  had 
not  Miss  Thompson,  at  first  an  affrighted  spectator  of  the 
fray,  promptly  retreated  to  a  near  heap  of  broken  stones, 
and  thence  directed  such  a  vigorous  fire  upon  the  enemy, 
and  with  such  skilful  aim,  that  the  diversion  enabled  Sea- 
man to  "  put  in  a  few  blows  where  they  would  do  the  most 
good,"  and  the  scamps  took  to  flight. 

"  Hurrah  for  the  English  pluck,  British  blood  tells. 
That's  the  girl  for  me,"  said  Roland,  strutting  up  and  down 
the  room  airily,  as  if  he  owned  a  large  quantity  of  the  afore- 
said fluid,  and  could  in  right  of  such  ownership  do  doughty 
deeds  if  called  on.  Alfarina,  who  never  lost  an  opportun- 
ity of  "  taking  the  young  man  down  a  peg,"  as  she  would 
express  it,  spite  of  maternal  remonstrances,  exclaimed  : 

"  Why,  Roland,  you've  forgotten  it  was  Miss  Thompson, 
and  not  you,  that  did  the  fighting." 

"  That  makes  no  difference,  Miss  Saucebox.  We  come  of 
English  stock,  and  I  feel  the  fire  in  my  veins." 

"  But,  my  dear  Mr.  Hastings,  how  could  a  young  lady  do 
such  a  thing  ?  I'm  very  sure  I  should  have  fainted.  It  was 
a  dreadful  thing  to  have  to  do,"  and  here  the  lady  shud- 
dered tragically. 

"  Really,  Mrs.  St.  Johns,  you  must  excuse  me,  but  I  saw 
you  face  a  pretty  savage-looking  foe  some  days  since  in  this 
very  room  and  you  showed  no  signs  of  fainting." 

The  lady  colored,  whether  with  annoyance  or  pleasure  her 
host  could  not  determine,  and  replied  quietly  : 

"  Ah,  yes.  I  can  talk  to  such  people,  but  I  really  could 
never  fight  them.  I  wouldn't  even  think  of  such  a  thing." 

"  Not  with  Hiram,  I  hope,"  said  Mi1.  Hastings,  and  here 


THE  RUSSIAN   EEFUGEE.  79 

the  idea  of  this  delicately-reared  woman,  who  for  all  avail- 
able purposes  of  life,  was  one  of  the  most  helpless  of  her 
sex,  engaged  in  single  combat  with  such  a  specimen  of  the 
race  as  the  Giraffe,  almost  overcame  the  gentleman's  gravity 
and  politeness  at  the  same  time. 

"  Still  we  must  all  allow  that  the  English  girl  did  the  very 
best  thing  under  the  circumstances,"  quietly  insinuated 
Alfarina,  "  for  if  she  had  not  helped,  and  so  turned  the  tide 
of  battle,  it  might  have  been  very  bad  for  them  both." 

"  True,  Alf,"  said  her  father,  who  just  entered,  but  had 
read  the  letter  earlier,  "  fainting  would  be  a  dangerous  thing 
under  such  conditions." 

"  I  agree  with  you,  father,  and  it  was  very  plucky  of  them 
both.  What  a  rare  couple  they  would  make  if  things  should 
turn  that  way." 

"  There,  now,  Roland,  weaving  one  of  your  romances 
already.  I  should  think  Dr.  Seaman  would  prefer  a  more 
delicate — I  mean  a  more  refined — lady  for  his  wife,"  saying 
which  the  young  lady  turned  toward  the  window,  with  a 
tell-tale  color  suffusing  her  face,  followed  by  the  mischiev- 
ous looks  of  her  sister  Alfarina,  who  slyly  and  meaningly 
remarked  : 

"  Yes,  Angie,  and  you  and  I  know  the  young  lady  who 
would  just  suit,  don't  we,  dear  ?  " 

All  smiled,  and  Roland  laughed  heartily. 

"  See  what  you  get  for  attacking  your  brother,  Angie. 
Just  serves  you  right." 

"Where  is  Dr.  Seaman  now,  Mr.  Hastings  ?  You  say  they 
caught  those  two  scoundrels  ?  "  interposed  the  mother,  fear- 
ful that  under  the  vexation  of  the  moment  her  favorite  child 
might  say  something  not  quite  refined. 

"  He  is  at  his  studies  again  in  London,  and  says  he  shall 
probably  return  to  this  country  in  a  month  or  six  weeks. 
Yes,  the  assailants  are  locked  up,  waiting  the  meeting  of  the 
assizes,  so  I  suppose  Seaman  must  remain  for  that  anyway." 


80  THE  EUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

"  So  the  constables  are  rather  disheartened  in  their 
search  for  Elsie,  and  are  no  wiser  as  to  her  locality  than 
they  were  two  weeks  ago  ? "  inquiringly  remarked  Mr.  St. 
Johns. 

"  Oh,  they  go  so  far  as  to  declare  that  she  is  not  in  this 
part  of  the  country  at  all,  in  spite  of  the  glaring  fact  that 
four  communications  have  been  received  from  her." 

"  And  that  long-limbed  hunter  " — here  the  wife  glanced  at 
her  husband  approvingly  ;  to  have  said  long-legged  would 
have  been  unpardonable  in  her  eyes — "is  as  dumb  as  an 
oyster,  and  yet  evidently  knows  all  about  it  ?  " 

"  True,  and  that  is  the  most  singular  thing  concerning  it, 
for  I  know  Hiram  would  almost  give  his  best  rifle,  '  Squeak- 
ing Jim,'  as  he  whimsically  names  it,  to  bring  her  home  to  me 
again,  and  yet  he  seems  as  helpless  as  any  of  us.  Never- 
theless I  know  she  is  safe  or  the  honest  fellow  wouldn't 
look  as  cheerful  as  he  does.  Goodness  gracious  !  There 
they  are  now,"  and  dashing  forward,  forgetful  of  his  usual 
equanimity,  Mr.  Hastings  opened  wide  the  door-window 
leading  into  the  lawn,  and  was  clasping  his  child  in  a  fond 
embrace  before  the  startled  observers  had  recovered  from 
their  surprise. 

"  No  ghosts  this  time,  but  real  flesh  and  blood,"  said  the 
radiant  parent,  as  he  led  the  restored  one  into  the  room, 
where  all  crowded  forward  to  welcome  her. 

"  Ghosts !  "  said  Elsie,  after  salutations  on  all  sides  had 
been  given  and  received,  even  the  servants  coming  up  in  a 
body,  to  shake  hands  with  their  young  mistress,  and  wel- 
come her  home  again  ;  "  why,  who  has  seen  any  ghosts  ?  " 

"  Several  persons  have  declared  solemnly  to  having  seen 
you  wandering  about  the  grounds  lately  by  moonlight," 
answered  Koland,  looking  at  her  with  undisguised  admira- 
tion. "  I  wish  it  had  been  my  good  fortune,  but  no  such 
luck,  though  I  have  searched  the  whole  country  for  you." 

"How  kind  of  you  to  remember  a  delinquent  so  well, 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  81 

and  take  so  much  trouble.  I  am  afraid  I  have  caused  you 
all  an  immense  amount  of  trouble  and  anxiety,  and  that  has 
greatly  distressed  me,  but  I  really  could  not  help  it,"  and 
here  she  looked  from  one  to  another  with  tears  in  her  eyes. 
"  And  father  all  alone  without  his  housekeeper  to  entertain 
his  friends." 

"  Everything  has  been  admirable,  my  dear,  only  our 
sorrow  for  your  absence  ;  it  did  seem  as  if  we  could  hardly 
bear  it.  How  well  you  are  looking,"  and  here  Mrs.  St. 
Johns  kissed  her  again  with  almost  a  motherly  fondness. 

"How  good  it  is  to  be  home  again.     Have  you  had  tea 

yet?" 

'It  must  be  on  the  table  now;  but  where  is  Hiram? 
I  certainly  saw  him  with  you  before  I  opened  the  window." 

"Yes,  father,  the  faithful  fellow  saw  me  safely  home,  but 
I  fear  he  has  left  for  his  house." 

Such  seemed  to  be  the  case,  for  search  and  inquiry  failed 
to  produce  the  Giraffe.  The  joy  of  the  household  was  com- 
plete, for  not  only  was  a  cloud  of  anxiety  removed,  but  the 
sunlight  of  a  bright,  healthy  nature  was  restored  to  the 
mansion  ;  and  the  singular  experience  of  Elsie  furnished  an 
inexhaustible  subject  for  conversation.  Of  course,  she  was 
subjected  to  a  small  battery  of  questions,  which  it  required 
all  her  ingenuity  to  answer  without  giving  offense  on  the 
one  hand,  or  breaking  faith  on  the  other.  The  parting 
words  of  the  old  patriarch  yet  rang  in  her  ears :  "  My 
child,  I  exact  no  promises,  I  simply  trust  you.  We  are 
unknown  to  the  world  ;  let  us  remain  so.  When  the  ne- 
cessity for  this  isolation  ceases  to  exist,  I  will  inform  you, 
and  you  can  speak  freely." 

When  they  were  snugly  seated  at  tea,  the  attack  was  be- 
gun by  Mrs.  St.  Johns,  who,  indeed,  had  put  one  or  two 
questions  before,  which  had  been  simply  avoided  by  Elsie, 
but  now  directly  asked,  "  Where  have  you  been  living, 
Elsie  ;  we  are  all  dying  to  know  ?  " 


82  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

"  Stopping  with  some  very  kind,  pleasant  people,  Mrs. 
St.  Johns  ;  I  never  was  treated  more  generously  and  hos- 
pitably in  my  life.  I  only  wish  you  could  know  them." 

"But,  Elsie,"  said  her  father,  noticing  the  want  of  direct- 
ness in  the  answer  ;  "  if  they  are  really  good  people,  why 
should  they  be  so  studious  to  conceal  their  identity  ?  " 

"  I  would  stake  my  life  on  their  integrity  and  genuineness, 
but  there  are  reasons  why  they  wish  to  remain  unknown." 

"  It  is  very  difficult  to  understand  how  such  a  thing  can 
be  possible  in  a  civilized  country  like  this,  if  the  people 
are  living  correct  lives,"  returned  her  father.  "  I  can  easily 
understand  the  feelings  of  gratitude  you  entertain  toward 
them  and  I  have  the  same,  and  would  be  glad  of  an  oppor- 
tunity to  thank  them  in  pei'son,  but  yet  you  must  know, 
my  dear  child,  that  this  concealment  does  not  look  well." 

Elsie  had  steeled  herself  for  this  ordeal,  and  had  re- 
hearsed it  in  her  own  mind  during  the  past  few  days  a 
hundred  times,  perhaps,  but  it  tried  her  more  than  she 
had  anticipated.  When  among  her  new  friends  and  ben- 
efactors, she  had  felt  it  would  be  easy,  comparatively,  to  pro- 
tect them,  in  their  wished  concealment,  against  all  assault ; 
but,  removed  from  their  immediate  influence,  and  with 
the  presence  of  her  beloved  parent,  and  these  friends,  and 
the  home  associations  all  powerfully  swaying  her  naturally 
frank  disposition  to  unconstrained  conversation  on  her 
singular  adventure,  she  began  at  once  to  realize  she  had  no 
light  task  before  her.  It  would  have  been  joy  beyond 
measure  to  have  unbosomed  herself  to  these  sympathizing- 
hearers,  but  all  her  instincts  of  honor  forbade.  She  had 
the  irksome  task  before  her  of  appearing  to  tell  much,  but 
in  reality  revealing  nothing. 

"If  you  are  bound  by  a  promise  exacted  from  you  under 
compulsion,  you  are  not  legally  bound  to  keep  it,  my  dear. 
Don't  you  agree  with  me,  gentlemen  ? "  suggested  Mrs. 
St.  Johns,  suavely. 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  83 

"  Certainly,"  assented  her  husband,  "  no  agreement  under 
coercion  is  binding  in  law,  if  such  coercion  can  be  proved." 

"  If  it  is  a  question  of  honor  then  Elsie  must  decide  for 
herself.  Of  course  we  shall  all  regret  it,  but  if  my  daughter 
feels  that  it  would  be  against  her  conscience  to  break  si- 
lence on  this  point,  I  would  not  urge  her  for  a  moment. 
I  can  trust  you,  Elsie,"  looking  at  her  fondly. 

The  young  lady  left  her  place  at  the  table,  and  stepping 
to  her  father's  side  imprinted  a  kiss  warmly  on  his  fore- 
head. 

"  Nothing  would  please  me  better  than  to  tell  you  my 
adventures,  if  such  they  can  be  called,  freely  and  fully,  but 
I  cannot  do  so  conscientiously,  and  so  for  the  present  must 
appear  in  an  unfavorable  light,  which  I  regret  exceedingly." 

"  At  least  you  will  tell  us  if  you  are  bored  by  any  horrid 
promise  or  midnight  oath  backed  with  all  sorts  of  dreadful 
penalties,"  said  Roland,  dramatically. 

This  query  brought  back  Elsie's  cheerfulness,  and  re- 
moved the  feeling  of  restraint  which  was  beginning  to  creep 
over  the  company. 

"  No  promise  or  oath  at  all,"  she  replied,  "  I  am  simply 
on  my  honor." 

"  Then  we  are  all  bound  in  honor  to  help  you  keep  your 
faith,"  remarked  Alfarina,  warmly. 

The  young  hostess  turned  toward  her  with  a  grateful 
look. 

"  At  least  you  will  not  be  angry  with  us  for  asking  ques- 
tions, for  I  know  I  shall  forget  myself  twenty  times  a  day 
unless  you  positively  forbid  me  to  speak  at  all,  and  then  I 
will  take  the  vow  of  La  Trappe  and  say  nothing,"  urged  the 
young  gentleman  of  the  party. 

"  Not  at  ah1,"  laughed  Elsie,  "  to  have  you  silent  would 
be  too  cruel  a  penalty  for  us  all.  Ask  all  the  questions  you 
please,  and  I  will  take  my  chances  of  being  entrapped  into 
admissions." 


84  THE   EUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

"  A  fair  bargain,"  said  the  young  man,  delightedly.  "  It 
will  be  a  case  of  diamond  cut  diamond." 

"  I  think  you  are  really  mean,  Roland,  when  Miss  Hast- 
ings told  us  she  did  not  wish  to  inform  us  of  her  curious  life 
of  the  past  three  weeks,"  Miss  St.  Johns  ventured  to  remark. 

A  certain  sarcasm  in  the  tone  touched  Elsie,  who  replied 
gently,  "  Call  me  Elsie  as  you  used  to,  Angelina ;  but  your 
brother  is  fair  enough,  for  he  warns  me  in  advance,  and  I 
do  not  wish  this  matter  to  cause  the  least  restraint  in  our 
intercourse.  Ask  any  questions  you  Eke  about  anything, 
and  I  wih1  answer  as  I  can." 

This  settled  the  question,  and  now  the  conversation  be- 
came general  and  the  young  hostess  found  that  she  needed 
all  her  mental  resources  and  adroitness  to  hold  her  own. 
When  the  party  separated  for  the  night  it  had  been  ascer- 
tained by  the  assailing  ODCS  that  Miss  Hastings'  entertainer 
was  an  old  man,  a  very  old  man.  Also,  that  there  was  a 
young  married  woman  whose  husband  was  absent,  and  a 
little  girl  of  twelve  or  thereabouts,  daughter  of  the  other. 
Also,  Roland  was  satisfied  that  he  had  trapped  Elsie  into 
admitting  that  there  had  been  a  young  man  of  fine  appear- 
ance and  manners  in  the  strangers'  family,  and  this  gave 
him  more  annoyance  than  he  was  willing  to  admit  even  to 
himself.  His  sisters  denied  that  Elsie  had  admitted  the 
existence  of  this  Apollo,  and  Alf  rallied  her  dandy  brother 
unmercifully  about  his  persistent  efforts  to  entrap  Miss 
Hastings  into  an  admission  of  the  fact.  However,  ah1  went 
to  rest  in  the  best  of  humor  and  with  pleasant  anticipations 
of  the  morrow. 

While  the  inhabitants  of  The  Hermitage  are  slumbering, 
we  will  try  to  take  up  the  dropped  thread  of  the  cave  ex- 
perience to  the  point  of  Elsie's  appearance  at  home  again. 
Under  the  skilful  treatment  of  the  old  doctor,  the  patient 
rapidly  convalesced  and  was  able  in  a  few  days  to  bear  the 
foot  on  the  ground  without  much  pain.  Her  interest  in  the 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  85 

new  acquaintances  deepened  as  she  came  to  know  them  bet- 
ter :  their  simple  life  and  habits  ;  the  kind  generous  feel- 
ing they  manifested  toward  the  guest  whom  accident  had 
placed  in  their  midst ;  above  all,  the  deep  affection  shown 
constantly  in  their  intercourse  with  each  other,  touched  her 
exceedingly.  She  felt  sure  that  no  guile  lurked  here.  No 
criminal  career  rendered  this  retirement  from  the  world 
necessary.  They  were  entirely  unknown  to  the  neighbor- 
hood she  was  satisfied,  with  the  exception  of  Hiram,  who 
seemed  to  be  on  very  friendly  footing  with  the  patriarch, 
and  for  whom  the  little  maiden  manifested  a  sort  of  won- 
dering friendship ;  for  her  eyes,  Elsie  noticed,  seemed  to 
fairly  dilate  as  she  gazed  on  him,  seemingly  speculating  as 
to  how  he  ever  attained  such  an  altitude.  Yet  they  were 
excellent  friends,  although  each  tune  he  visited  the  cave- 
dwellers  the  acquaintance  with  the  little  Russian  seemed  to 
to  be  begun  from  the  foundation.  He  had  visited  them 
three  times  during  Elsie's  sojourn  in  the  cave,  greatly  to 
her  delight,  for  as  she  told  him,  "it  was  next  to  seeing 
home  again,"  which  remark  so  pleased  the  honest  fellow 
that  his  contortions  to  express  his  joy  sent  Sophia  flying 
into  the  end  of  the  room  in  a  comic  paroxysm  of  fear. 

"  Darn  mybutes,  Miss  Elsie,  Hiram  'd  give  six  cat  pelts 
to  brought  yer  father  to  this  house.  An'  I  reckon,  rayther, 
the  squire  'd  give  a  hoss  to  come.  But  couldn't  be,  Miss 
Elsie,  couldn't  be.  Yer  see,  Miss  Elsie,  Hiram  give  his 
grip  to  the  kernel  here,  and  no  going  back  on  that,  if  he 
be  a  furrener."~~ 

Elsie  ventured  to  question  him  as  to  how  he  became  ac- 
quainted with  the  strangers,  but  he  suddenly  became  deaf, 
and  the  conversation  was  entirely  one-sided  until  she 
changed  the  topic.  She  described  her  escape,  but  soon 
found  he  knew  all  the  details  of  it,  the  location  of  the  cable, 
the  working  of  the  basket,  everything  seemed  quite  famil- 
iar to  the  woodsman. 


86  THE   RUSSIAN   EEFUGEE. 

"  Why,  Hiram,  I  really  believe  you  Lave  been  across  the 
ravine  in  the  basket  yourself  ?  " 

The  trapper  smiled  in  his  grotesque  way. 

"  Yaras,  I  rither  should  say  so.  More  times,  mebbe, 
than  you've  had  full  moons." 

One  thing  excited  her  surprise  somewhat,  and  that  was 
that  the  patriarch  was  never  in  the  room  when  the  trapper 
was  present.  This  might  be,  she  argued  to  herself,  from 
a  delicate  consideration  for  her  on  the  part  of  the  host, 
who  might  naturally  suppose  she  would  wish  to  talk  with 
her  old  friend  about  home  matters,  and  would  not  put  the 
constraint  of  his  presence  upon  her  freedom.  This  she 
knew  would  be  quite  in  keeping  with  his  character,  so  far 
as  she  had  observed  it.  Yet  she  naturally  suspected  that 
another  motive  operated  also,  the  desire  to  avoid  questions 
before  a  third  party. 

She  had  hoped  to  explore  the  cave  before  leaving,  but  as 
the  old  Russian  said  that  it  would  involve  considerable  fa- 
tigue and  her  remaining  four  or  five  days  longer  with  them, 
she  decided  to  forego  it. 

"But,  my  child,"  he  remarked  on  the  day  of  her  depart- 
ure, "  I  now  consider  you  one  of  us,  and  we  shall  see  you 
here  again  ;  then  you  can  examine  the  cave  and  the  mar- 
vels which  are  created  by  the  viewless  power  working  in 
the  secret  places  of  the  earth." 

"  Oh,  I  should  like  it  above  all  things,  but  how  shall  I  know 

when  to  come.  I  do  not  know  your  name  even,  and " 

here  she  paused,  trying  to  avoid  even  the  appearance  of  a 
curiosity  which  she  felt  she  had  no  right  to  ask  him  to  grat- 
ify, since  he  had  not  volunteered  the  information  himself. 
"  You  know  I  may  have  trouble  in  finding  my  way  here." 

"  That  can  be  easily  managed,"  said  her  host,  reading  her 
thoughts  beneath  the  veil  of  words,  and  smiling  at  her,  re- 
assuringly. "  Tell  Hiram  when  you  wish  to  come,  and  a  way 
will  be  provided.  As  for  my  name,  names  are  little  value 


THE   RUSSIAN    REFUGEE.  87 

when  we  know  the  person,  but  you  shall  know  mine  some 
day,  for  the  present  call  me  the  *  Exile,'  for  such  I  am. 
My  native  land  can  never  know  me  more.  The  true  sons 
of  Russia  must  leave  the  home  of  the  unnatural  parent  or 
else  band  to  compel  reformation,  though  it  be  through 
blood  and  fire." 

The  old  man's  frame  seemed  to  heighten  and  expand, 
and  his  eyes  glowed  with  a  fierce  and  lurid  light  which  his 
hearer  had  not  seen  there  before.  She  felt  awed  before  the 
deep,  intense  passion  which  seemed  to  surge  through  his 
aged  frame  with  all  the  intensity  of  youth.  She  felt  that  a 
dynasty,  no  matter  how  strongly  entrenched  in  dignity  and 
power,  must  yet  have  in  it  elements  of  weakness  and  deprav- 
ity, when  by  its  acts  it  made  exiles  and  enemies  of  such 
men  as  this.  No  father,  she  thought,  who  alienates  his 
best  children,  and  turns  their  hands  against  him,  can  be 
right,  no  matter  how  fair  he  may  appear  to  the  world. 

The  Exile  had  barely  touched  on  his  misfortunes  when  in 
conversation  with  her,  on  the  contrary,  he  had  studiously 
avoided  personal  topics.  Yet  he  had  hinted  that  political 
reasons  compelled  his  present  life  ;  that  he  was  a  member 
of  some  secret  organization  she  concluded  from  several 
matters  which  had  accidentally  come  to  her  knowledge.  As 
to  how  Hiram  came  to  be  associated  with  the  cave-dwellers 
she  could  not  even  form  a  conjecture,  for  he  took  little  or 
no  interest  in  the  politics  of  his  own  country,  having  often 
declared  in  her  hearing  that  he  never  had  voted  and  never 
would  vote,  for  fear  "H'd  help  put  in  some  tamed  var- 
ment of  a  critter  as'd  do  some  pesky  thing  or  other,  an' 
kinder  put  shame  onto  we  who  put  'im  thar."  He  was  a 
simple,  unlearned  fellow  devoted  to  nature,  and  in  her  school 
had  garnered  much  lore.  His  integrity  was  unquestioned 
by  any  who  knew  him,  and  his  shrewdness,  when  he  chose, 
was  phenomenal.  No,  Hiram  was  connected  with  the  cave 
folks  by  some  other  tie  than  a  political  one. 


CHAPTER  IX. 
A  CONUNDRUM. 

ELSIE'S  return  to  the  mansion  was  the  beginning  of  a 
series  of  rides,  excursions,  etc.,  which  had  been  postponed 
on  account  of  her  absence,  and  the  uncertainty  which  hung 
over  her  condition.  She  had  to  submit  to  an  unlimited 
amount  of  teasing  and  quizzing  from  the  young  people,  and 
remarks  from  the  older,  all  of  which  were  given  and  received 
in  a  sort  of  serio-comic  way  which  did  not  interfere  at  all 
with  the  general  enjoyment.  She  had  a  secret  to  guard 
which  she  had  unwittingly  challenged  them  to  find  out,  and 
no  efforts  were  spared  in  that  direction.  If  she  had  simply 
requested  that  her  confidence  should  not  be  tempted  and 
that  her  enforced  absence  be  not  alluded  to,  the  desire,  as 
said  before,  would  have  been  granted  at  once.  But  she 
was  not  one  to  recede  from  any  position  she  had  once  vol- 
untarily taken,  and  her  associates  were  glad  of  some  object 
to  aim  at,  and  Roland  had  promised  a  box  of  kid  gloves  to 
whichever  of  his  sisters  should  find  out  the  secret  of  the 
residence,  and  the  name  of  the  young  lady's  entertainer. 
If,  on  the  contrary,  he  was  the  fortunate  discoverer,  some- 
thing very  choice  was  to  be  the  memento  of  his  triumph, 
from  their  hands.  One  matter,  however,  puzzled  the  young 
man  exceedingly,  and  that  was  the  fact  of  Elsie  always  be- 
traying a  half-confused  consciousness  whenever  the  sup- 
posed young  man  in  the  case  was  alluded  to.  It  had  been 
a  mere  random  shot  of  his,  and  he  quickly  noted  that  her 
response  was  not  in  the  same  light  vein  in  which  she  had 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  89 

so  dexterously  parried  their  other  questions.  To  be  sure, 
lie  had  failed  completely  in  trying  to  entrap  "  the  astute 
defendant,"  as  his  father  termed  her,  into  any  damaging 
admissions,  although  he  had  examined  and  cross-examined 
the  "  accused  "  before  his  sisters,  empanelled  as  a  special 
jury,  one  morning  for  nearly  an  hour,  ending  where  he  be- 
gan, so  far  as  information  was  concerned.  He  ended  his 
examination  by  reading  from  the  lexicon  all  the  Christian 
and  Hebrew  names  of  men  there  given,  slowly  pronouncing 
each  one  and  scrutinizing  closely  the  fair  face  of  the  sus- 
pected one  to  detect  aught  of  confusion  or  self-conscious- 
ness, but  all  without  avail. 

"  Upon  my  word,  Miss  Hastings,  you  would  make  a  cap- 
ital witness  ;  I  think  I  could  trust  you  before  any  jury. 
Not  that  Roland  is  an  expert  in  examining,  but  he  has 
shown  more  legal  ability  than  I  ever  suspected,  in  this 
audacious  examination  to  which  he  has  subjected  your 
good  nature." 

"  Really,  you  ought  to  make  a  profound  apology  to  Miss 
Elsie,  and  be  indicted  yourself  and  heavily  fined,"  went  on 
Mr.  St.  Johns,  who  presided  as  judge,  "  or  be  imprisoned 
for  false  accusation." 

"I  am  quite  willing  to  forego  any  redress  that  the  law 
might  afford  me,  provided  the  accuser  will  declare  publicly 
that  he  believes  me  innocent  of  the  charge." 

"  Let  the  case  go  to  the  jury,"  urged  the  persistent  Ro- 
land, "  for  I  am  almost  sure  I  saw  the  accused  change  color 
at  one  of  the  names." 

"  It  is  no  case  for  the  jury,  sir,  you  have  no  case  in  this 
court ;  nevertheless  if  the  jury  have  determined  on  a  verdict 
they  are  at  liberty  to  announce  it  without  leaving  their 
seats.  What  say  you,  ladies  of  the  jury  ?  " 

"  Guilty  !  "  said  Alf,  solemnly. 

"Guilty  of  what?"  ejaculated  her  father,  with  a  ludi- 
crous look  of  astonishment. 


90  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

"  Guilty  of  concealing  the  facts  of  the  case,"  returned  the 
jury  spokeswoman. 

"  The  jury  is  discharged  in  disgrace,  and  I  charge  the 
sheriff  never  to  empanel  any  member  of  it  again  within  my 
jurisdiction,"  said  the  judge  loftily,  leaving  his  chair. 

Mr.  Hastings  was  much  amused  when  this  comic  trial  of 
his  daughter  was  recounted  to  him,  by  the  young  lady  her- 
self, in  a  most  pathetic  manner.  It  was  in  presence  of  her 
persecutors. 

"Ah,  my  dear,  you  now  find  how  hard  it  is  to  keep  a 
secret." 

"  If  Miss  Hastings  finds  it  so  hard  to  keep  the  secret  her- 
self, why,  ah  !  if  she  will  share  it  with  me  I  will  help  her  to 
keep  it,  you  know.  '  Two  heads  better  than  one,'  you 
know,"  said  the  young  gentleman,  with  an  insinuating  air. 

"Yes,  do,  Elsie,  for  as  Eoland  has  plenty  of  vacant  space 
in  his  mental  habitation,  he  can  easily  accommodate  your 
secret  without  injuring  it  by  crowding,"  quickly  observed 
the  watchful  Alfarina. 

A  vengeful  look  was  shot  from  the  languid  eyes  of  the 
dandy,  and  to  soothe  his  ruffled  feelings  Elsie  hastened  to 
remark  : 

"  If  I  had  such  a  secret  as  you  seem  to  credit  me  with, 
Mr.  Eoland,  I  do  not  know  of  anyone  to  whom  I  would 
sooner  impart  it  than  yourself.  I  know  it  would  be  safe  in 
your  hands." 

It  was  the  oil  on  the  troubled  water,  and  all  was  harmony 
again.  But  apart  from  this  repartee  and  good-humored 
raillery,  Elsie  really  was  aware  of  a  certain  self-conscious- 
ness in  herself  whenever  any  allusion  was  made  to  the 
young  man  of  the  family,  meaning,  of  course,  the  family  of 
the  unknown  benefactor.  She  was  angry  with  herself  for 
this,  as  she  had  never  seen  the  individual  in  question,  and 
only  knew  of  Adolph's  existence  from  the  Exile. 

Singularly  enough,  while  daily  expecting  to  meet  the  un- 


THE   RUSSIAN  REFUGEE.  91 

known  hero  of  her  escape  or  rescue,  he  had  not  appeared 
during  her  seventeen  days'  residence  in  the  cave.  She  was 
more  disappointed  than  she  was  willing  to  own,  as  her 
grateful  heart  longed  to  thank  him  for  his  courage  and 
kindness  on  her  behalf.  Still  she  could  not  but  admit  that 
this  studied  avoidance  of  her,  for  such  she  felt  sure  it  was, 
only  enhanced  the  curiosity  and  interest  she  felt  concerning 
him.  She  recollected  well,  how,  that  early  in  their  acquaint- 
ance the  Exile  had  hinted  that  she  would  have  opportunity 
of  thanking  Adolph  personally,  but  day  after  day  passed 
and  no  Adolph  appeared,  and  latterly  she  was  sure  she  de- 
tected a  slight  shade  of  annoyance  in  the  patriarch's  tone> 
whenever  his  son  was  mentioned  in  her  presence. 

He  had  informed  Elsie  that  Adolph  was  an  adopted  son, 
"but  yet  my  son,"  he  added,  emphatically.  "  I  had  a  son, 
the  hope  of  my  lif  e,  but" — and  here  he  paused  and  seemed 
to  be  looking  dreamily  into  the  past — "  he  died  and  left  me 
in  a  winter  of  bereavement  and  sorrow.  But  from  the 
frosty  winter  came  bright  spring,  and  renewed  life  is  mine 
again  in  Adolph." 

His  language  was  mystical,  but  she  inferred  that  he  in- 
tended to  express  the  satisfaction  and  comfort  which  his 
adopted  child  gave  him  in  his  old  age.  Also  she  thought 
the  obscurity  of  his  words  arose  from  the  natural  difficulty 
most  foreigners  have  in  clearly  putting  their  thoughts  in 
idiomatic  English. 

The  early  winter  kept  bright  and  crisp,  the  days  were 
glorious,  and  Christmas  arrived  before  the  storms  had  fairly 
put  in  an  appearance. 

The  St.  Johns,  after  a  five  weeks'  visit,  had  returned 
home,  first  exacting  a  promise  from  Elsie  to  spend  Febru- 
ary with  them  in  the  city. 

"Now,  my  dear  girl,  I  shall  expect  you,  and  can  take  no 
excuse,  so  no  more  adventures  in  funny  places,  masquer- 
ading among  curious  people  that  your  friends  mustn't  know. 


92  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

There,  there,  don't  blush  child,  its  all  right,  I  dare  say,  and 
when  you  come,  in  February,  you  will  tell  us  all  about  it. 
The  mysterious  ogre  will  let  you  by  that  time,  no  doubt." 

And  so  they  departed,  and  Elsie  gave  almost  a  sigh  of 
relief,  for  the  young  lady  had  been  sorely  tried  between 
making  her  guests  happy  and  at  the  same  time  avoiding 
their  questions.  However,  they  were  gone,  and  really  no 
wiser  concerning  the  secret  than  when  Elsie  returned  home 
from  the  cave.  The  father  and  daughter  were  alone  again, 
and  things  resumed  their  wonted  channel. 

"Father,  I  hope  you  do  not  blame  me  in  this  matter.  If 
you  knew  how  hard  it  is  to  keep  anything  secret  from  you, 
you  would  pity  me." 

"My  own  one,"  said  her  parent,  kissing  her  fondly,  "  your 
father  has  not  been  an  uninterested  observer  of  your 
struggle  between  duty  and  inclination.  I  am  proud  of  you, 
for  even  if  your  view  of  this  matter  is  a  false  one,  yet  I 
always  wish  you  to  be  guided  by  conscience  and  obey  what 
to  you  is  the  higher  law.  Your  promise  is,  as  I  understand, 
rather  implied  than  expressed,  to  preserve  silence  in  this 
matter,  but  I  am  satisfied  to  wait  patiently  uutil  you  can 
honorably  give  me  your  confidence.  One  question  I  will 
ask,  leaving  to  you  the  option  of  answering.  Have  you  had 
any  communication  with  these  people  since  leaving  them  ?  " 

"  None  whatever,  but  I  will  say  that  I  more  than  ex- 
pected it,  yet  nothing  has  reached  me." 

"  That  is  well,  and  although  I  will  not  bind  you  by  a 
promise,  I  will  say  that  it  would  be  a  great  satisfaction  to 
me  if  I  thought  all  connection  with  them  had  ceased  for- 
ever." 

"  Oh,  father,  don't  say  that,  after  saving  my  life  and  treat- 
ing me  with  so  much  kindness.  It  is  not  like  you." 

"  I  recognize  the  obligation,  Elsie.  I  would  gladly  repay 
it,  but  what  I  mean  is,  secret  communications.  Anything 
above  board  is  all  right.  Anything  in  the  broad  daylight, 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  93 

but  things  which  have  to  be  concealed  are  always  suspi- 
cious, and,  remember,  your  knowledge  of  the  world  is 
limited." 

Elsie  looked  distressed,  and  the  tears  began  to  flow. 

"  Father,  I  could  not  bear  it  if  you  suspected  me  for  a 
moment.  I  will  promise  you  this,  that  I  will  do  nothing 
in  this  matter  unworthy  of  my  father's  daughter." 

"That  will  do,  my  dear,"  taking  her  hands.  "I  have 
trusted  the  child  and  the  youth,  I  will  trust  the  woman  ; 
for  you  are  now  a  self-reliant  woman,  and  this  incident  of 
the  past  few  weeks  has  helped  your  maturity  wonderfully. 
No,  I  will  not  curtail  your  freedom,  but  will  welcome  your 
confidence  in  this  instance  when  you  feel  you  can  properly 
give  it  me." 

"  Many  thanks,  my  father  and  mother  in  one,"  kissing 
him  twice,  "  and  I  shall  not  rest  until  I  can  bring  you  into 
friendly  contact  and  acquaintance  with  my  new  friends." 

This  settled  the  matter  between  these  two,  so  dear  to 
each  other,  and  between  whom  no  concealment  of  any- 
thing had  ever  occurred  until  the  young  girl's  adventure 
and  rescue,  and  the  subsequent  detention  in  the  subter- 
ranean home  of  the  friendly  Bussians. 


CHAPTEE  X. 

A  NEW  FACE. 

BY  the  middle  of  January  the  winter,  after  raging  for 
some  time  in  varied  transitory  phases  of  its  power,  fairly 
settled  down  to  its  work  and  held  the  earth  in  a  firm  em- 
brace. Ice  and  snow  everywhere  gave  wheels  a  resting 
spell  and  called  into  active  service  everything  in  the  shape 
of  cutter  or  sleigh. 

One  bright,  cold  morning,  being  alone,  for  her  father  had 
been  called  to  the  city  on  business,  Elsie  resolved  to  take 
a  trip  to  the  table-rock,  where  she  had  not  been  since  the 
accident,  and  obtain  a  view  of  this  wondrous  gorge  in  its 
wintry  setting.  The  morning  was  perfect,  everything  white 
and  still,  only  the  sleigh-bell  breaking  the  frosty  air  into 
rhythmic  waves  as  her  horse  sped  swiftly  on.  She  soon  ar- 
rived at  the  road  leading  along  the  far  side  of  the  ravine, 
and  was  then  compelled  to  travel  more  slowly,  as  the  snow 
was  deeper  and  less  compact  on  account  of  the  limited 
amount  of  travel  in  that  direction  during  the  winter  season. 
She  reached  the  table-rock  and  checked  her  horse,  so  as  to 
command  a  full  view  of  the  valley  beyond  the  deep,  yawn- 
ing abyss  below.  The  silence,  now  that  the  bell  had  ceased 
tinkling,  was  eloquent,  and  reached  her  soul  with  a  power 
and  meaning  that  no  speech  or  sound  could  have  done. 
One  never  realizes  their  personality  and  intensity  of  being  as 
when  alone  in  a  profound  silence.  It  gives  the  idea,  in  a  fee- 
ble sense,  of  the  condition  which  prevails  in  the  eternal  space 
— an  intangible  ether  and  the  central  Me.  But  so  long  as 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  95 

our  two  feet  rest  on  mother  earth  such  moods  must  be 
brief,  and  the  earth  life  will  not  let  us  be.  The  scene  and 
the  memories  of  her  last  visit,  and  what  it  led  to,  drew  her 
thoughts  gradually  to  the  "House  in  the  Earth,"  away 
across  the  gulf,  and  she  tried  to  determine  its  locality. 

Suddenly  a  loud  report  burst  upon  her  ears,  scattering 
her  thoughts  and  day-dreams  in  every  direction,  and 
startling  Gyp  so,  that  before  she  could  firmly  grasp  the 
reins,  they  were  jerked  out  of  her  hands,  and  the  black 
horse,  with  his  ears  close  to  his  head,  was  speeding  down 
the  road  like  a  meteor. 

In  vain  his  mistress  called  to  him,  trying  to  soothe  him 
with  pet  phrases.  On  he  fled,  like  the  wind,  and,  in  a  min- 
ute or  two,  a  sudden  whirl,  and  the  young  lady  found  her- 
self plunged  into  a  chaos  of  snow  and  cutter  robes. 

It  did  seem  as  if  she  could  never  extricate  herself,  so 
thoroughly  was  she  entangled  in  the  wraps,  and  imbedded 
in  the  deep  snow.  As  soon  as  she  had  freed  her  head  she 
obeyed  her  first  impulse  and  laughed  gleefully  at  the  pre- 
dicament she  found  herself  in. 

"  Oh,  Gyp,  Gyp,  you  villain.  I  never  thought  you  would 
serve  me  such  a  trick.  To  desert  your  mistress  in  such  a 
plight  as  this." 

"  Allow  me  to  assist  you,"  said  a  pleasant  voice.  "  I  fear 
I  was  the  cause  of  your  mishap."  And  immediately  a  strong 
hand  began  to  remove  the  encumbrances  which  beset  her 
on  every  side. 

"  Thank  you  very  much.  If  you  will  just  help  me  with 
this  heavy  robe  I  can  manage  well  enough." 

So  dexterously  did  the  stranger  work,  that  in  a  minute 
or  so  Miss  Hastings  was  on  the  road  feeling  none  the  worse 
for  her  snow  bath. 

"  I  am  indeed  obliged  to  you,  but  where  can  Gyp  have 
gone  to?" 

"  Don't  be  alarmed  about  him,  there  is  a  pretty  big  snow- 


96  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

drift  about  half  a  mile  on,  and  he  will  run  into  that  if  he 
does  not  stop  before.  I  will  go  on  and  find  him,  if  you 
don't  mind  staying  here." 

"  I  will  walk  on  with  you  ;  it  will  be  safer  than  staying 
here  in  the  cold,"  said  Elsie. 

The  stranger  seemed  pleased  at  the  suggestion,  and  after 
feebly  opposing  it,  on  the  ground  that  she  might  be  tired, 
yielded,  and  piled  up  the  robes  by  the  side  of  the  road,  and 
they  started  in  the  direction  taken  by  the  horse. 

The  new  friend,  as  Elsie  observed,  was  a  tall,  well-devel- 
oped, vigorous-looking  man,  seemingly  in  the  prime  of  life. 
He  had  regular  features,  and  wore  a  full  brown  beard.  He 
walked  with  the  easy,  careless  grace  of  conscious  physical 
power,  accompanied  by  excellent  health.  His  manners 
were  frank  and  unrestrained,  and,  yet,  she  was  puzzled  ex- 
actly in  what  rank  to  place  the  new  acquaintance.  He  was 
hardly  a  gentleman,  according  to  the  village  conception  of 
the  term,  meaning  the  professional  men,  leading  merchants, 
manufacturers,  and  those  of  independent  fortune,  or  favored 
birth.  In  truth,  Elsie  had  never  yet  been  able  to  decide  in 
her  own  mind  what  the  conventional  gentleman  was.  She 
had.  a  very  decided  opinion  of  what  a  true  man  was,  but, 
somehow,  those  called  by  common  consent,  gentlemen,  did 
not  always  exhibit  the  traits  of  exalted  manhood. 

One  thing  she  quickly  decided  on,  her  companion  was 
not  an  ordinary  man,  such  as  she  had  met  in  that  region 
repeatedly,  and  sometimes  in  her  benevolent  expeditions 
been  brought  into  contact  with — yes,  often  into  closer  con- 
tact than  was  pleasant.  The  stranger  spoke  with  a  decision 
and  promptness  that  denoted  one  who  did  his  own  thinking 
and  had  decided  opinions  on  most  subjects.  He  did  not, 
she  quickly  noticed,  speak  like  a  college  or  school  bred  man, 
that  is,  a  bookish  man  ;  in  fact  from  one  of  his  remarks  she 
inferred  that  he  was  inclined  to  despise  such,  but  his  lan- 
guage, though  simple  in  choice  of  words,  was  good,  and  did 


THE   RUSSIAN   EEFUGEE.  97 

not  seriously  infringe  on  grammatical  rules.  Their  talk 
was  of  the  neighborhood,  the  mountain  scenery,  and  natural 
history,  in  which  latter  field  he  seemed  an  enthusiast,  and 
yet  his  knowledge  was,  she  concluded,  entirely  the  result 
of  observation  and  personal  investigation,  for  when  she 
mentioned  an  important  discovery  made  by  a  German 
savant,  and  quoted  in  the  scientific  journal  her  father 
received,  with  reference  to  what  they  had  just  been  discuss- 
ing, and  called  to  her  memory  by  a  remark  of  his,  he 
showed  great  surprise  and  interest,  manifesting  by  his  re- 
marks that  scientific  books  were  largely  unknown  to  him. 

They  found  the  horse  standing  up  to  his  neck  in  a  snow- 
drift looking  penitent  enough,  and  he  neighed  pitifully  on 
seeing  his  young  mistress.  Fortunately,  the  cutter  was  un- 
injured, with  the  exception  of  one  of  the  shafts;  which  was 
splintered.  They  concluded  to  walk  back  to  where  the 
robes  were,  the  gentleman  leading  the  horse. 

"  I  have  a  strap  attached  to  my  game-bag  near  by,  which 
will  hold  the  shaft  secure  until  you  reach  home." 

It  seemed  that  his  shooting  a  rabbit  had  been  the  cause  of 
Gyp's  sudden  make-off,  he  not  knowing  that  anybody  was 
near. 

"It  has  been  a  lesson  to  me  that  I  will  not  forget,"  he 
said,  "  and  I  know  you  will  try  to  forget  it." 

"  Why,  you  need  not  apologize,"  regarding  him  wonder- 
ingly  that  he  should  be  so  much  annoyed  at  an  accident. 
"  It  might  have  happened  in  a  score  of  ways.  It  was  this 
naughty  Gyp's  fault.  He  ought  to  be  ashamed  of  himself." 

The  shaft  was  soon  put  in  safe  condition  and  the  vehicle 
ready  for  the  homeward  start.  The  lady  took  her  seat  and 
her  companion  put  the  lines  in  her  hand. 

He  then  removed  his  beaver  hunting-cap,  showing  a  high, 

white,  intellectual  forehead  in  contrast  with  the  bronzed 

face   and   hands.     As  he  stood  respectfully  on  one  side, 

cap  in  hand,  clad  in  his  close-fitting  fur  hunting-jacket,  and 

7 


98  THE  RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

with  that  independent,  yet  deferential  bearing,  she  could 
not  help  thinking,  "  What  a  manly  looking  fellow." 

"  Believe  me,  I  am  very  grateful  to  you  for  your  assist- 
ance," offering  her  hand  to  him  on  the  impulse  of  the  mo- 
ment, the  thought  coming  quickly  to  her,  "  What  would 
Mrs.  St.  Johns  say  to  my  shaking  hands  with  a  mere  stran- 
ger ?  " 

He  took  her  hand  eagerly,  and  then  to  her  surprise  raised 
it  to  his  lips. 

"  I  will  gladly  drive  you  home,  if  " — hesitating — "  if  your 
horse  is  not  safe." 

She  read  his  thoughts  in  the  hesitating  manner,  and 
laughed  merrily. 

"  Oh,  I  am  not  afraid  of  Gyp  ;  I  am  used  to  driving  pretty 
wild,  or  at  least,  spirited  horses." 

"  They  say  Miss  Hastings  is  afraid  of  nothing,  that  is,"  as 
if  afraid  he  had  used  an  awkward  word,  "is  very  fearless," 
with  emphasis  on  the  last,  as  if  satisfied  he  stood  on  firm 
verbal  foundation  now.  The  sudden  elevation  of  her  brow 
and  wide  opening  of  the  black  eyes  showed  her  astonish- 
ment at  hearing  her  name. 

"  Is  it  possible  you  know  me  ?  We  certainly  have  never 
met  before." 

"I  think  everybody  around  here  knows  Miss  Hastings," 
he  returned,  evasively,  and  then,  as  she  thought,  a  little 
bitterly,  "  No,  it  is  hardly  likely  we  should  have  met  before, 
or  at  least,  not  to  notice  me." 

He  loosed  the  rein  which  he  had  held  under  the  appear- 
ance of  straightening  it,  and  there  being  no  reasonable 
excuse  for  further  delay,  she  bowed  and  smiled,  saying, 
"  Thank  you,  very  much,  good-by  ; "  and  Gyp  darted  im- 
pulsively forward  under  the  relaxed  rein. 

What  trifles,  light  as  snow-flakes,  may  influence  our 
thoughts,  our  words,  our  deeds,  our  lives.  What  singular 
accidents  seem  to  often  govern  our  acquaintanceship  with 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  99 

each  other.  What  a  trivial  matter  often  decides  that  an- 
other shall  come  forward  out  of  the  great  multitude  of  the 
unknown,  and  become  an  acquaintance,  friend,  intimate 
companion,  even  life  associate,  and  influence  our  mental 
and  moral  growth  through  time  and  perhaps  on  into  the 
eternities.  The  amount  of  influence  which  we  exert  on 
one  another  is,  in  most  instances,  an  unknown  quantity, 
but  often  can  be  traced  back  and  estimated  with  sufficient 
accuracy.  It  is  a  curious  and  interesting  thought  that, 
standing  amid  the  known  to-day,  to-morrow  may  bring  us 
into  contact  with  a  stranger  whose  life-sphere  touching 
ours  shall  outweigh  in  the  balance  of  results  all  we  have 
known  to  the  present.  Perhaps  some  such  reflections 
often  come  to  the  thoughtful  on  meeting  one  who  impresses 
us  favorably  at  first  coming  within  our  individual  range  of 
social  vision. 

Elsie  as  she  drove  rapidly  homeward  could  not  forget 
the  fur-clad  huntsman  who  had  served  her  with  such  a 
singular  mixture  of  gallantry,  independence,  and  timidity. 
Her  social  instincts  told  her  he  was  not  in  her  own  sphere 
of  life.  Amid  the  scenes  where  she  had  encountered  him 
he  seemed  a  sort  of  sylvan  knight,  a  doughty  follower  of 
Diana.  His  presence  there  seemed  natural  and  consistent. 
There  was  the  vigor  and  color  and  graceful  self-reliance 
which  bespoke  a  son  of  the  mountain,  a  votary  in  nature's 
own  temple.  But  how  would  this  follower  of  the  chase 
acquit  himself  in  the  halls  of  frivolity  and  fashion,  amid 
those  scenes  of  counterfeits  and  glittering  mockeries,  where 
color,  brightness,  glow  and  beauty,  with  wit,  talent,  genius, 
art,  and  science,  all  band  in  strong  brotherhood  to  enrapture 
the  soul,  charm  the  intellect,  and  enthrall  the  senses  ?  She 
smiled  at  the  idea,  so  incongruous  did  it  appear  to  her,  for 
something  told  her  that  the  new  acquaintance  knew  no 
more  of  such  scenes  than  he  did  of  the  scientific  books  of 
the  day.  "An  illiterate  man,  what  a  pity,  with  such  a 


100  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

head,  too,"  said  her  intellect,  but  her  higher  thought,  which 
seemed  more  instinct  than  intellect,  pronounced  him  manly, 
courteous,  brave,  intelligent— a  natural  gentleman,  and  a 
scholar  in  the  deeper  erudition— a  graduate  in  the  outside  uni- 
versity which  numbers  among  its  alumni  some  of  the  best  of 
the  race.  "  Nature's  gentleman,"  was  her  final  verdict,  as  she 
drove  up  to  the  gate.  "  I  really  wish  I  knew  who  he  was." 
Elsie's  training  under  the  careful  eye  of  her  father  had 
been  more  varied  than  that  of  most  country  maidens  ;  for 
her  parent  had,  for  her  sake,  spent  two  winters  in  New  York, 
and  she  had  mingled  in  a  good  deal  of  fashionable  life, 
although  her  wise  guardian  would  not  consent  for  a  mo- 
ment that  her  robust  health  should  be  risked  by  turning 
night  into  day.  So  she  would  only  accept  one  invitation, 
where  her  aunt,  Mrs.  Grace,  a  leading  woman  of  fashion  in 
the  metropolis,  wife  of  a  prominent  lawyer,  would  have 
wished  her  to  accept  four  or  five.  She  had  been  quite  a  belle, 
and  could  easily  have  been  married  to  one  of  the  exquisites, 
with  money  in  place  of  brains,  who  hung  around  hex-,  but 
she  held  such  firmly  aloof. 

Although  at  first  fascinated  by  the  adulations  and  atten- 
tions which  were  lavished  on  her,  and  attracted,  as  all  young 
people  are,  by  the  kaleidoscopic  changes  of  brilliant  cos- 
tumes, bright  faces,  music,  and  gaiety,  and  the  pleasant  social 
pretty  nothings  which  formed  so  much  of  the  conversations 
she  heard,  the  time  of  unmasking  came,  and  she  saw  behind 
the  scenes.  She  realized  that  society  acts  its  little  dramas 
and  uses  a  variety  of  machinery  for  the  purpose. 

She  had  been  taken  once,  by  her  wise  parent,  into  the 
green-room  and  behind  the  scenes  when  he  feared  the 
mimic  life  of  the  stage  was  taking  too  strong  hold  of  her 
imagination,  as  she  pleaded,  with  girlish  enthusiasm,  to  be 
permitted  to  become  an  actress,  after  seeing  a  few  good 
performances.  The  contrast  was  appalling,  for  here  dingy 
little  dressing-rooms,  garments  of  all  colors  trimmed  with 


THE  RUSSIAN  REFUGEE.  101 

cheap  tinsel,  and  imitation  gold-painted  paste-board  crowns 
and  tiaras,  trap-doors,  ropes,  and  blocks,  and  pulleys,  in 
short,  the  usual  unwholesome  unattractive  medley  of  sights 
and  sounds  found  in  such  places,  grated  on  her  senses.  Men 
and  women,  on  whose  faces  ihe  red  and  white,  not  placed 
by  nature's  deft  hand,  showed  repulsively,  strolled  about 
half  clad  in  the  gaudy  costumes  in  which  as  kings,  queens, 
lords,  knights,  squires,  ladies  of  rank,  and  maidens,  nobles, 
and  peasants,  they  had  gaily  strutted  the  brief  hour  before 
the  footlights,  and  so  dazzled  and  delighted  her*  that  she 
had  supposed,  for  the  short  period  of  delusion,  that  surely 
'twas  heaven  on  earth  to  play  a  noble  part  before  a  crowded 
house,  and  win  the  plaudits  of  the  multitude.  And  when 
the  leading  lady  was  gracefully  led  out,  in  response  to  the 
repeated  demand  of  the  enthusiastic  public,  and  bent  her 
queenly  form  hi  acknowledgment,  Elsie  felt  that  she  must 
be  some  superior  being,  living,  in  some  way,  apart  and  dif- 
ferent from  ordinary  mortals.  To  kneel  before  this  superb 
creature,  the  cynosure  of  all  eyes,  at  whom  every  opera- 
glass  in  the  building  was  levelled,  like  so  many  mimic  rifles  ; 
to  bow  reverently  before  this  half-human,  half-divine  being, 
and  kiss  her  hand,  she  felt  would  be  bliss  indeed.  But  now 
she  saw  the  goddess  smoking  a  cigarette,  and  exchanging 
badinage  with  some  of  those  lower  attendants  who,  a  few 
moments  before,  approached  her  only  with  extreme  defer- 
ence, not  daring  to  speak  except  by  permission. 

It  was  an  awakening,  and  perhaps  an  unkind  one,  for 
some  of  the  most  enjoyable  moments  on  earth  are  those 
spent  under  the  magic  influence  of  a  delusion.  The  jests, 
laughter,  carelessness,  and  altogether  very  human  conduct 
of  these  superior  beings,  who,  before  the  public,  seemed, 
with  the  exception  of  two  or  three  necessary  villains,  to  be 
incapable  of  uttering  aught  else  but  elevated  sentiments 
in  a  dignified  and  very  becoming  manner,  grated  harshly 
upon  her  sensitive  nature. 


102  THE  RUSSIAN   EEFUGEE. 

"Oh,  father,"  she  said,  pitifully,  "is  there  nothing  real 
on  earth  ?  " 

"  Certainly,  my  child,  and  this  is  real  that  you  see  around 
you,  the  other  was  the  unreal,  and  yet  only  unreal  in  a 
sense.  All  those  noble  acts  and  exalted  sentiments  which 
so  pleased  you  in  the  play,  and  which  these  people  so  well 
presented  to  us,  are  to  be  witnessed  and  heard  among  the 
common  men  and  women  of  every- day  life,  only  they  are 
not  massed  before  us,  so  as  to  attract  special  attention. 
And  some  of  these  people  here,  who  are  unbending  so  thor- 
oughly now  their  stage-work  is  over,  no  doubt  in  their 
homes  are  good  daughters,  or  wives,  or  mothers,  husbands, 
brothers,  fathers,  or  citizens.  An  actor  off  the  stage  re- 
sembles a  bow  which  has  been  kept  taut  by  the  string  while 
being  used.  This  is  the  rebound  when  the  string  is  re- 
laxed." 

"  But  that  queen  who  did  seem  too  lovely  for  anything, 
why,  she  appears  really  coarse  and  almost  vulgar." 

"  Yet,  Elsie,  I  believe  she  is  a  very  good  woman  and  the 
mother  of  a  family.  However,  I  do  not  fear  that  your  pas- 
sion for  the  stage  will  do  you  much  harm.  This  will  be  a 
life  lesson  for  you.  There  is,  perhaps,  no  occupation  so  full 
of  temptations  and  hardships  in  a  certain  way  as  that  of  an 
actor.  It  is  full  of  peril,  and  perhaps  the  large  number  who 
prove  too  weak  to  resist  the  evil  influences  incidental  to  it 
is  not  to  be  wondered  at.  The  excitement,  late  suppers, 
consumption  of  stimulants  to  urge  nagging  energies,  an 
aiiificial  and  unnatural  life,  generally  coupled  with  the  fact 
that  the  demand  for  the  greatest  mental  and  physical  out- 
lay is  at  that  period  of  the  twenty-four  hours  when  the 
nervous  system  is  naturally  most  exhausted,  hurry  scores 
to  untimely  graves.  Nothing  but  the  most  rigid  self-denial 
and  discipline  can  preserve  health  and. vigor  under  the  ex- 
acting demands  of  an  actor's  life.  But  they  are  prover- 
bially the  most  careless  and  reckless  people  in  existence." 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  103 

The  young  girl,  for  she  was  only  fourteen  at  the  time 
spoken  of,  never  forgot  that  "  behind  the  scenes*'  and  it 
led  to  the  habit  of  looking  beneath  the  surface  in  connec- 
tion with  the  facts  of  life  as  they  came  to  her.  Not  that  it 
rendered  her  suspicious,  but  rather  cautious  in  forming 
definite  opinions  of  persons  or  things.  Yet  now  deluded  by 
her  social  instincts  and  by  the  specious  glittering  baubles  of 
fashionable  society,  and  for  a  time  made  giddy  by  the  con- 
stant whirl  of  gaiety,  she  forgot  to  gaze  beneath  the  sur- 
face and  blindly  floated  with  the  tide.  But  this  was  only 
for  a  brief  season,  her  country  breeding  and  the  abundant 
out-door  exercise  she  had  always  taken  gave  her  endur- 
ance to  resist  the  enervating  inroads  of  dissipation.  But, 
although  her  cheek  held  its  fresh  color  and  her  step  its 
elasticity,  she  suddenly  found,  to  her  alarm,  that  she  was 
fast  losing  her  taste  for  thinking  or  solid  reading.  Her 
mind  was  constantly  filled  with  the  petty  nothings  and 
butterfly  interests  of  the  life  around  her.  She  noticed, 
too,  that  her  father,  the  dearest  being  to  her  in  the  world, 
would  look  at  her  occasionally  with  an  anxious,  questioning 
gaze,  which  somehow  made  her  feel  culpable,  she  knew  not 
why.  Yet  he  never  uttered  a  syllable  of  blame. 

One  morning,  when  she  came  down  to  the  library  in  the 
handsome  house  on  Madison  Avenue,  where  her  uncle  lived, 
after  a  late  breakfast,  looking  and  feeling  somewhat  lan- 
guid, her  father  looked  up  from  his  book,  and,  after  kissing 
her  "  good-morning,"  said  pleasantly:  "I  have  just  been 
reading  something  which  brought  to  mind  the  visit  we  paid 
to  the  theatre  some  years  ago.  Do  you  remember  it?" 

His  remark  brought  the  color  to  her  face,  but  she  an- 
swered brightly  :  "  Remember  it !  indeed  I  do.  It  was  the 
best  lesson  of  my  life." 

"  I  am  very  glad  you  have  not  forgotten  it,  and  what  a 
wide  application  the  lesson  you  then  learned  has.  I  feared 
it  had  escaped  your  memory." 


104  THE   EUSSIAN   EEFUGEE. 

Nothing  more  was  said  at  the  time,  for  some  one  else 
entered*  the  room  seeking  her  father,  but  that  hint  was 
sufficient.  Elsie  felt  it  was  time  she  looked  beneath  the 
surface  of  the  social  sea  on  whose  glistening  waters  she  was 
floating  so  heedlessly.  She  began  to  investigate  and  to 
seek  for  the  true  meaning— the  real  soul  of  this,  so  fair 
a  body  externally. 

Alas  !  the  revelation  was  even  more  astounding  than  that 
which  came  to  her  when  venturing  behind  the  stage  scen- 
ery. Fashionable  society,  she  discovered,  was  a  mask  and, 
like  all  masks,  was  hollow,  a  mere  thin  paste  and  color, 
paper  and  paint  hiding  a  very  different  face  beneath.  She 
found,  just  under  the  gay  shimmer  on  the  surface,  jealous- 
ies, vanity,  slanders,  ignoble  rivalry  in  still  more  ignoble 
causes  ;  she  found  heart-burnings,  natures  calloused  and 
seared  by  dissipation,  empty  minds  and  dwarfed  souls 
shrouded  in  languid,  nerveless  bodies.  That  expressive 
French  word  blase,  for  which  our  language  gives  no  exact 
equivalent,  seemed  to  be  written  on  the  foreheads  of  most 
of  the  votaries  of  fashion,  men  and  women  that  she  knew. 

Of  course,  the  evil  effects  were  more  pronounced  and  de- 
plorable among  her  own  sex,  as,  with  the  exception  of  the 
gauzy-winged  fops,  and  the  class  of  merely  idle  pleasure- 
seekers,  aimless  beings  who  floated  on  the  summer  clouds 
of  youth,  pecuniary  ease,  and  rose-tinted  leisure,  the  men, 
whose  wives,  daughters,  and  sisters  really  constituted  the 
major  part  of  the  social  whirl,  were  compelled  by  business 
responsibilities,  ambition,  and  a  score  of  other  influences 
which  they  could  not  escape,  to  stand  aloof  largely  from 
this  destructive  and  unnatural  life.  In  short,  the  young 
country  girl  found,  after  careful  scrutiny  —  behind  the 
scenes — that  fashionable  life  was  a  delusion  and  a  snare. 

She  recoiled  as  from  the  brink  of  a  precipice  on  which 
she  had  unwittingly  been  walking,  and  shuddered  to  think 
of  the  escaped  danger.  "  Is  it  possible  that  I  could  ever 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  105 

become  like  one  of  these  pale-complexioned,  cosmetic- 
tinted,  harmless,  meaningless,  languid  beauties,  who  have 
no  more  idea  of  the  real  meaning,  responsibilities,  and 
grand  possibilities  of  life  than  one  of  the  veiled  inmates 
of  an  Oriental  harem  has  of  the  free,  independent  individ- 
uality of  an*  American  or  an  English  lady." 

Mr.  Hastings  remarked  to  a  friend  about  this  time 
who  urged  that  his  daughter  was  too  ascetic  in  her  tastes 
in  so  often  refusing  invitations  to  the  gay  life  which  she  so 
adorned,  "Elsie  has  awakened  from  her  dream,  and,  with- 
out any  help  from  me,  come  to  the  conclusion  that  the  pur- 
suit of  pleasure  in  fashionable  society  inevitably  leads  to 
physical,  mental,  and  spiritual  bankruptcy  ;  and  being  at 
present  solvent  in  these  respects,  she  wisely  decides  to  re- 
main so." 

So,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  days,  occasionally,  on  a 
visit  to  the  St.  Johns  or  her  aunt's,  her  fashionable  life 
practically  ended  at  the  time  referred  to. 


CHAPTER  XL 
A  WARM  EXPERIENCE. 

LONDON,  February  19,  18 — . 

MY  DEAR  COUSIN  ELSIE  :  It  is  certainly  time  for  a  letter  to  your 
sweet  self,  as  my  last  was  to  the  much-respected  parental  relative  of 
the  aforesaid  sweet  self,  and  uncle  to  the  present  unworthy  writer. 
Well,  coz,  I'm  coming  home.  There,  now,  is  an  announcement  for 
you  calculated  to  make  your  pulse  beat  at  least  a  fifth  faster  than 
usual. 

"  Conceited  and  vain  !  ''  Oh  no.  Such  qualities  find  no  lodgment  in 
this  bosom.  Of  course,  your  cheek  flushes  with  pleasure,  or  (?)  at 
this  very  moment,  and  the  pulse-beat  is  at  least  85  ;  normal,  about  68. 
I  don't  blame  you.  It  is  neither  your  misfortune  nor  your  fault  to  re- 
joice that  a  strong,  faithful,  and  very  devoted  cousin  is  coming  to  ad- 
vise, guide,  and  generally  take  care  of  you  for  a  few  days. 

"When?"  ah  !  there's  the  rub.  Well,  inquisitive  one,  know  that 
your  medical  relative  expects  to  sail  for  the  land  of  Washington,  and 
Franklin,  and  Brigham  Young,  about  April  the  primus. 

"What  have  I  been  doing  with  myself  abroad  ?"  Oh,  no,  you 
wouldn't  say  abroad,  that  is  the  Hinglish  term.  Let  me  see,  you 
would  say,  in  proper  Yankee  phrase,  "  Yurrup."  You're  not  a  Yan- 
kee ;  perhaps  not,  but  you're  an  American,  and  that's  just  as  bad  ;  we 
make  no  distinction  here.  Well,  to  answer  your  question,  I  have 
been  visiting  the  hospitals  and  working  hard  generally. 

"  What  about  the  Thompsons  ?  "  Indeed,  I  could  tell  you  a  good 
deal  about  them,  but  must  defer  until  we  meet.  I  mentioned  my 
little  adventure  with  the  tramps  in  a  former  letter  to  uncle.  You 
should  have  seen  me  handle  the  stick,  and  Miss  Thompson  handle 
the  stones  and  mud.  You  know,  you  always  made  fun  of  my  devo- 
tion to  the  manly  art  of  self-defence,  but  you  would  have  modified 
your  opinion  and  modified  your  strictures,  too,  had  you  seen  that 
fight.  I  laugh  now  when  I  think  of  the  amazed  and  enraged  ex- 


THE   RUSSIAN  REFUGEE.  107 

pression  of  that  big  rascal's  face  when  he  first  felt  the  clay  and  stones 
rained  upon  his  visage.  Keeping  one  eye  for  me,  he  tried  to  glare 
at  the  new  enemy  with  the  other,  and  when  a  well-directed  shot  from 
Miss  Thompson's  hand  closed  one  optic,  and  my  shillaleh  descended 
upon  his  confused  pate  at  the  same  time,  the  yell  of  baffled  fury  was 
almost  worthy  of  Lucifer  (as  per  John  Milton).  Miss  Thompson  is  the 
only  woman,  I  believe,  in  the  wide  world  who  can  throw  straight. 

So,  miss,  you  have  been  having  an  adventure  too,  hiding  away 
from  your  father  for  three  weeks,  and  then  refusing  to  tell  anybody 
anything.  I  know  what  it  means.  You  are  only  waiting  for  a  cer- 
tain beloved  cousin  to  return  from  England,  to  make  a  full,  free,  and 
frank  confession.  That  is  right !  Don't  you  tell  them  anything 
about  it,  Coz.  It  is  merely  idle  curiosity  on  their  part,  which  ought 
not  to  be  gratified.  What  a  delightful  talk  you  and  I  will  have  about 
it  in  the  early  days  of  May,  or  before.  If  you  find,  of  course,  that 
you  cannot  keep  the  secret  until  my  arrival,  why  you  must  write  it 
to  me  in  full,  and  I  will  help  you  take  care  of  it.  Two  strong  healthy 
people  like  you  and  I  ought  to  be  able  to  keep  one  secret,  even  if, 
as  I  suppose,  it  is  a  pretty  big  one. 

Now  for  the  bonne  bouclie  of  my  welcome  epistle.  Don't  start  so 
with  that  resentful  gesture,  you  came  near  making  me  blot  the  fair, 
white  page.  You  will  say  it  is  doubly  welcome  when  I  tell  you. 
But  come  to  think,  I  ought  to  "  swap,"  that's  not  a  slang  term  is  it  ? 
Ought  to  trade,  then,  if  you  are  so  particular  with  a  fellow — and  your 
first  cousin,  too — ought  to  swap,  or  trade,  or  exchange,  my  secret  for 
yours.  How  would  that  do  ?  But  no,  I  will  be  magnanimous,  and 
not  bind  you  to  make  any  return,  but  leave  that  to  the  eternal  prin- 
ciple of  justice  within  you.  Now  listen,  as  the  children  say,  let  a 
pin  drop  so  that  I'll  know  everything  is  quiet  while  I  tell  you. 
What  do  you  think  ?  Oh,  you're  getting  impatient,  and  say  you  don't 
want  to  hear.  Really  I've  half  a  notion  to  keep  it  for  my  next  letter, 
but  no,  I'm  too  kind-hearted  to  punish  you  so  severely.  So  here 
goes.  Mr.  Thompson  and  his  two  daughters  are — are  going  to  take  a 
trip  to  U.  S.,  and  perhaps  spend  the  summer  there,  and  further,  per- 
haps, may  go  in  the  same  vessel  with  your  honored  cousin. 

Don't  you  owe  me  something  now  ?  Yes,  and  I'll  claim  it  when 
we  meet.  They  are  charming  girls  ;  the  eldest  just  after  your  own 
heart,  and  I  know  you  will  be  fast  friends.  Love  to  uncle,  and  a  re- 
fined and  elegant  elixir  of  the  same  article  for  my  cousin  Elsie. 

Yours  in  exile, 

WAKBEN  SEAMAN. 


108  THE  KUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

"  Father,  just  read  this  letter  from  Warren,  you  will  enjoy 
it  better  by  reading  it  all  through  to  yourself,  and  it  has 
some  news  in  it,  too.  He  does  love  to  tantalize." 

"I  must  say  the  young  man  has  quite  distinguished  him- 
self in  that  letter,"  said  her  father,  after  reading  it.  "I 
suspect  Warren  is  pretty  deeply  impressed  by  these  charm- 
ing English  girls,  for  he  is  not  wont  to  indulge  in  much 
sentimentalism.  I  am  truly  glad  they  are  coming.  I  met 
the  father  ten  years  ago,  but  do  not  remember  much  about 
the  girls." 

"  I  think  they  must  have  been  at  school  at  that  time, 
father.  Well,  it  will  be  good  to  have  Cousin  Warren  with 
us  again.  I  do  wonder  where  he  purposes  making  a  new 
settlement?" 

"I  have  been  thinking  of  that  lately,  and  considerable 
inquiry  has  convinced  me  that  he  could  not  do  better  than 
open  an  office  in  Melville." 

"  What !  so  near  to  us  ?  That  would  be  delightful  But 
is  there  a  good  opening  ?  There  are,  at  least,  eleven  physi- 
cians now." 

"  Very  true,  but  how  many  really  good  ones  ?  Dr.  Rogers 
is  intemperate,  and  his  once  large  practice  is  fast  leaving 
him.  Smith  never  has  had  the  confidence  of  the  people, 
owing  to  his  unsteady  habits.  Dr.  Skyler  is  too  old,  and 
never  ventures  out  at  night  or  in  stormy  weather.  Then 
Drs.  Armstrong  and  Canby  are  a  firm  of  medical  adventur- 
ers of  the  quack  class,  who  are  not  likely  to  remain  long." 

"  That  leaves  six,  and,  papa,  I  am  afraid  young  Dr.  Peet 
is  intemperate,  too,  for  Mra  Wood  said  he  was  under  the 
influence  of  liquor  when  he  came  to  see  her  baby  last  week. 
She  was  afraid  to  give  it  the  medicine  he  left,  and  asked  me 
to  advise  her  about  it.  I  just  told  her  to  throw  the  medi- 
cine away,  and  give  the  baby  a  warm  bath." 

"  Very  sapient  advice,  no  doubt,  quite  safe  anyway ;  but 
I  am  sorry  to  hear  that  about  Peek  How  can  a  medical 


THE   RUSSIAN   EEFUGEE.  109 

man  be  such  a  fool  as  to  touch  stimulants  ?  No  physician 
who  is  not  totally  abstemious  in  that  respect  should  be  al- 
lowed to  enter  a  family.  I  would  not  trust  any  medical 
man  who  touches  liquor  to  prescribe  for  a  cat  of  mine,  much 
less  one  of  my  family." 

"  Cousin  Seaman  will  only  have  five  competitors,  and  with 
his  ability  he  ought  to  be  able  to  take  the  lead  after  a 
while,"  remarked  Elsie,  gleefully.  "  Shall  I  tell  him  about 
it  when  I  write  ?  " 

"I  would  not  enter  into  particulars,  but  just  hint  that  I 
thought  there  might  be  a  good  opening  here,  which  he  had 
better  investigate  before  looking  any  further.  But  what 
about  the  lecture  to-night,  I  have  procured  tickets,  thinking 
you  might  care  to  hear  it  ?  " 

"  Yes,  indeed,  but  I  had  almost  forgotten  it.  What  is 
the  subject  ?" 

"'Rome  and  its  Environs,'  illustrated  by  dissolving 
views.  The  lecturer's  name  is  not  familiar  to  me,  but  I 
s.ee  he  is  highly  endorsed  by  the  city  journals." 

At  8  P.M.  the  lecture  room  of  the  Town  Hall  was  com- 
fortably filled,  and  the  oxyhydrogen  apparatus  in  the  cen- 
tre of  the  room  was  smiling  a  faint  circle  on  the  great 
white  sheet  stretched  at  the  back  of  the  platform. 

The  lecturer  being  formally  introduced,  seemingly  a  most 
absurd  and  unnecessary  performance,  but  demanded  by  cus- 
tom, began  by  graphically  sketching  the  history  of  the  "  Mis- 
tress of  the  World  "  in  outline  from  the  mud  walls  erected 
by  the  wolf-fed  brothers,  to  the  unrivalled  magnificence  of 
its  summit  power  when  it  gave  laws  to  the  world.  Thence 
to  its  decadence  and  gradual  transition  from  a  vast  politi- 
cal to  an  equally  great  religious  capital.  "  We  will  now 
look  at  the  Rome  of  the  past,  and  by  gradual  approach 
come  to  the  Rome  of  the  present."  At  a  signal  the  lights 
were  lowered  until  the  room  looked  dark  and  sombre  in 
contrast  to  the  platform,  where  on  the  white  surface  now 


HO  THE  RUSSIAN   EEFUGEE. 

glowed  an  intensely  bright  circular  disk,  in  response  to  the 
fiery  torrid  eye  of  the  instrument. 

The  views  were  very  fine  and  well  thrown  upon  the 
screen,  also  the  running  lecture  of  commentary  was  direct 
and  to  the  point.  The  speaker  had  spent  months  in  the 
Eternal  City,  and  had  drank  in  inspirations  on  the  spot 
which  remained  with  him  and  gave  vitality  to  his  rapid 
descriptions.  Elsie  was  delighted,  for  she  was  ardently 
fond  of  history  and  geography.  Her  father,  too,  pronounced 
it  a  superior  entertainment  of  the  kind. 

About  half  the  lecture  was  over,  and  a  remarkably  fine 
view  of  the  Coliseum  was  on  the  sheet,  when  someone  in 
the  rear  of  the  hall  suddenly  shouted  "  fire ! "  The  cry 
was  repeated  by  a  hundred  voices,  and  at  once  the  entire 
audience  was  on  its  feet  in  a  wild  whirl  of  confused  strug- 
gling for  the  aisles  and  doors.  The  lecture-room  was  on 
the  second  floor  of  the  building  and  was  entered  by  two 
pretty  narrow  staircases  leading  from  the  hall  below.  The 
darkened  state  of  the  room  made  the  scene  more  terrifying. 
In  a  second  the  aisles  and  doorway  were  filled  by  a  dense 
writhing  mass  of  panic-stricken  humanity.  Elsie  and  her 
father  rose  at  the  first  alarm  to  make  for  the  door,  but  a 
voice  near  them  said  in  a  low,  clear  tone,  "Keep  your  seat 
Miss  Hastings,  if  you  join  that  crowd  at  the  door  you  will 
be  crushed."  They  obeyed  mechanically. 

"Friends,  the  fire  is  below  us,  escape  by  the  door  is 
impossible.  Keep  the  doors  shut.  Turn  up  the  lights, 
those  near,  and  open  the  windows."  The  loud,  full  im- 
perative tones  rang  clearly  above  the  din  and  uproar,  and 
some  paused  in  their  wild  efforts,  and  presently  a  light 
here  and  there  began  to  appear.  "  Throw  up  the  lower 
windows,  work  lively,  two  men  take  charge  of  each.  Pass 
the  long  cushions  to  the  windows.  If  you  do  as  you  are 
told  every  one  can  be  saved."  So  saying,  the  speaker's  tall 
sinewy  figure  could  be  seen  making  his  way  to  one  of  the 


THE   RUSSIAN  REFUGEE.  Ill 

windows  with  a  long  cushion.  Stepping  on  seat  backs  or 
convenient  shoulders  as  he  could,  he  gained  the  window. 

"  Pass  those  cushions  to  the  men  at  the  windows.  Now 
cut  places  in  each  one  for  the  foot.  The  men  at  the  win- 
dow hold  the  cushions  outside,  they  will  reach  near  the 
ground.  One  at  a  time  now,  the  ladies  first,  put  your  toes 
in  the  cuts  and  hold  on  the  sides  with  the  hands. 
Steady ! " 

These  rapid  instructions  were  given  and  obeyed  in  less 
time  than  it  takes  to  describe  them.  There  are  always  will- 
ing, capable  men  in  every  crowd,  who  will  act  bravely,  skil- 
fully and  efficiently,  if  some  one  will  only  lead  and  direct 
them.  As  a  rule,  everywhere  workers  are  many  ;  capable, 
wise  leaders  few.  The  man  who  had  taken  charge  of  pro- 
ceedings was  almost  an  entire  stranger,  so  it  was  remem- 
bered afterward,  but  he  was  obeyed  readily.  A  natural 
leader,  he  was  acknowledged  at  once,  and  no  one  seemed 
inclined  to  question  his  authority. 

What  the  world  asks  for  is  help  in  time  of  emergency, 
and  it  willingly  obeys  and  honors  him  who  can  furnish  it. 

The  roaring  of  the  flames  could  now  be  distinctly  heard 
below,  and  the  floor  became  unbearably  hot.  The  people 
stood  on  seats  awaiting  their  turn  to  descend.  I  said  no  one 
ventured  to  dispute  the  authority  of  the  self-elected  leader, 
but  exception  must  be  stated.  Some  rough,  selfish  brutes 
forced  their  way  to  one  of  the  windows,  and  putting  aside 
the  women  congregated  there  and  those  preparing  to  de- 
scend, were  making  their  way  rapidly  into  the  street.  The 
reckless  element  in  the  throng  took  the  hint,  and  a  deter- 
mined effort  was  made  to  take  possession  of  the  windows. 

"  This  is  madness,"  shouted  the  director,  "  act  like  men, 
not  base  cowards  ;  no  you  don't,"  as  a  big  fellow  jerked 
aside  Elsie,  who  was  about  to  climb  up. 

"Let  him  go,  I  can  wait,"  urged  she,  who  when  she  first 
heard  the  voice  was  confident  she  detected  a  familiar  ring 


112  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

in  it,  but  failed  to  connect  it  with  any  friend  she  could 
think  of. 

"Not  for  a  moment,"  and  a  hand  of  iron  was  laid  on  the 
intruder's  collar,  while  the  fellow  hand  dealt  him  a  blow 
under  the  ear,  which  hurled  him  half-unconscious  on  the 
crowd.  "  I  will  shoot  any  man  that  tries  to  force  his  way 
past  a  woman,"  drawing  a  formidable  looking  revolver  as  he 
spoke.  The  weapon,  coupled  with  the  determined  manner, 
produced  the  required  result,  and  in  a  few  moments  more 
the  room  was  emptied. 

Of  course  in  the  rapid  descent  of  some  three  hundred  peo- 
ple even  from  so  small  a  distance  as  twenty  feet  some  casual- 
ties might  be  expected,  and  several  were  injured  by  letting 
go  before  reaching  the  ground.  The  cushions  were  four- 
teen feet  long,  so  that  a  person  of  ordinary  height  on  reach- 
ing the  end  would  be  within  two  or  three  feet  of  the 
ground,  and  ready  hands  were  willing  to  assist  them  down, 
but  some  few  dropped  on  fairly  getting  outside  the  win- 
dow. These  were  nearly  all  women,  as  might  be  expected. 

"Girl's  ought,"  as  Mr.  Hastings  said  in  reporting  the 
incidents  of  the  fire  afterward  to  a  friend,  "to  be  taught 
gymnastics  at  least  to  the  extent  of  being  able  to  support 
their  own  weight  with  their  hands,  and  be  able  to  de- 
scend by  a  rope,  or  pole,  or  board  if  necessity  demands.  I 
have  Elsie  so  trained  that  she  can  go  up  or  down  by  her 
hands  as  well  as  any  boy,  and  on  the  night  of  the  fire  she 
went  down  that  cushion  like  a  cat." 

The  whole  affair  of  the  fire,  from  the  time  of  its  discovery 
until  the  last  person  left  the  building,  was  barely  ten  min- 
utes, and  owing  to  the  double  ceiling  and  stout  ironclad 
doors  comparatively  little  smoke  entered  the  audience 
room.  The  stairs  took  fire  early  and  so  prevented  escape 
that  way,  and  the  doorkeeper,  finding  this,  fastened  the 
door,  and  so  kept  flame  and  smoke  outside. 

A  few  moments  after  the  escape  of  the  audience  the  en- 


THE   EUSSIATif   EEFUGEE.  113 

tire  building  was  enveloped  in  flames,  and  eventually  de- 
stroyed, in  spite  of  all  that  the  rather  tardy  firemen  could  do. 

Various  were  the  surmises  as  to  who  was  the  man  of  re- 
sources who  directed,  with  such  energy,  promptness,  and 
wisdom,  the  escape  of  the  audience.  Somebody  said  it  was 
a  Mr.  Bartram,  who  occasionally  appeared  in  town,  but  was 
not  familiarly  known  there. 

"  I  would  like  much  to  have  shaken  hands  with  that 
man,  and  thanked  him  for  his  coolness  and  courage.  No 
doubt  it  saved  several  lives,  and  many  more  from  the  injur- 
ies which  always  ensue  from  a  panic  in  an  audience." 

"  How  fortunate,  pa,  that  the  building  was  free  on  both 
sides,  and  standing  by  itself.  I  thought,"  Elsie  said,  after  a 
momentary  pause,  as  if  searching  her  memory  ;  "  that  I  knew 
the  gentleman,  and  he  mentioned  my  name." 

"  He  is  certainly  not  one  of  your  city  friends,  I  should 
think,"  said  her  father,  smiling ;  "  for  his  manners  were 
hardly  what  would  be  called  polished." 

"  He  reminds  me  more  than  anybody  else  of  the  stranger 
who  helped  catch  Gyp,  when  I  went  to  the  table-rock  that 
day  last  month  ;  but  no,  they  looked  different.  Yet  the 
voices  are  something  alike." 

"  No  more  romances,  young  lady,  with  peculiar  strangers. 
I  hope  you  have  had  enough  for  one  season." 

Elsie  colored  involuntarily,  but  answered  in  the  same  vein : 

"  I  am  afraid,  my  good  sir,  papa  is  fearful  of  some  fine- 
looking  monster  running  off  with  his  daughter.  Never  fear, 
the  right  fellow  hasn't  come  thus  far." 

"  And  will  not  for  a  long  while,  I  hope.  I  cannot  spare 
my  housekeeper  yet." 

His  daughter  responded  by  kissing  him  fondly,  and  then 
catching  sight  of  some  one  coming  up  the  avenue,  ran  to 
the  window. 

"  Oh,  father,  here's  Hiram  and  his  wife.  They  do  look 
so  comical  together." 


114  THE  EUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

Perhaps  a  more  remarkable  looking  pair  never  agreed  to 
travel  in  matrimonial  double  harness  down  the  hill  of  life, 
for  they  had  both  arrived  at  the  top  of  the  hill  before, 
"  jining  in  the  bonds  of  mattermoony,"  as  Hiram  phrased  it. 
The  "  Giraffe  "  stalked  along  in  a  sort  of  "  pay  by  instal- 
ments "  fashion,  for  as  his  wondrous  length  of  limb  could  not 
by  any  possibility  accommodate  itself  to  a  short  step,  he  com- 
promised the,  to  him,  very  puzzling  matter  by  taking  an 
enormous  stride  and  then  pausing  for  the  little  fat  pudgy 
woman  to  waddle  up  to  him.  He  looked  at  a  little  dis- 
tance as  if  measuring  and  staking  off  the  length  of  the 
road,  and  waiting  at  each  stake  set  for  the  rear  chain 
bearer  to  come  up  to  him.  Gretchen  was  a  widow  when 
he  married  her,  with  one  child,  a  boy,  now  grown  to  man- 
hood, and  of  whom  she  was  very  proud  indeed.  Nothing 
pleased  the  whole-souled,  good-natured  Dutch  woman  so 
much  as  for  Miss  Hastings  to  inquire  particularly  after  the 
welfare  of  Hans. 

"  Why,  Hiram,  I  really  began  to  be  afraid  you  had  for- 
gotten us,  or  that  some  wild  animal  had  got  the  best  of 
you  at  last.  And  Gretchen,  too !  Elsie  will  be  so  glad  to 
see  you,  she  wants  you  to  show  her  how  to  make  some 
German  dish,  I've  forgotten  what  it  is." 

"Wall,  friend  Alf,  I  reckon  I'm  too  many  for  the  moun- 
tain critters  yet,  them  varmin  are  mighty  skeery  when 
Jim  squeeks.  Hev  been  pooty  busy  of  late,  that's  sartin. 
I  kind  o'  hungered  to  see  yer  and  Miss  Elsie  here,  an'  the 
old  woman,  says  she  '  lets  a  go  to  Meester  Hastins  this  af- 
ternoon.' Capn,  I  tell  yer  it  was  kinder  tough  a  gittin  on 
her  here,"  and  here  Hiram  dropped  his  voice  confidentially 
toward  the  gentleman,  "I'm  sorter  dazed  and  tired  like, 
resting  so  kinder  much  along  the  trail." 

Elsie,  who  had  been  listening  to  the  husband  while  seem- 
ingly occupied  in  talking  to  the  wife,  turned  toward  him 
with  a  cheery  laugh,  "  Hiram,  I  never  thought  you  would 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  115 

treat  your  wife  so,  such  a  good  wife  too,  as  I  know  Gretchen 
is,  making  her  walk  all  this  distance ;  why  you  ought  to  have 
carried  her." 

"  Curried  her,  curried  Gretchen  !  jewwhatiker  !  "  This 
was  the  nearest  approach  to  an  oath  that  Hiram  ever  in- 
dulged in.  "  Why  Miss  Elsie,  Gretchen  way  up  there,  and 
I  way  down  here,"  and  the  "Giraffe"  acted  in  pantomime 
with  his  hands  ;  "  whew !  pears  to  me  Gretchen'd  feel  kinder 
dizzy,  an  folks'd  think  we  was  a  cirkus,  sure." 

"  Go  long  mit  you,  great  big  sky  scraper,  make  fun  of 
you  wife.  Ven  you  vas  home  mit  me,  you  vas  so  goot  cause 
you  vant  goot  supper,  go  long  mit  you  already,"  and  here 
the  jolly  woman  shook  her  fat  fist  at  her  elongated  spouse. 

It  was  always  great  amusement  for  the  inmates  of  The 
Hermitage  to  have  a  visit  from  this  couple.  Both  good  na- 
tured  to  a  fault,  and  yet  so  different  in  every  possible  way. 
However,  Elsie,  thinking  Hiram  might  have  something  to  say 
to  her  father  particularly,  began  talking  in  an  undertone 
to  Gretchen,  "  And  how  is  Hans,  Gretchen,  I  heard  he  was 
home  ?  " 

"  Miss  Elsie,"  said  the  fond  mother  smiling  all  over,  "ain't 
dot  a  fine  boy  ?  Ven  he  vas  twenty-von  yahres  old,  dot  vas 
last  Tuesday,  he  comes  to  me,  as  I  vas  his  mudder,  und  say, 
'  mudder,  I  vant  ter  see  der  world  yet.'  He  is  a  fine  feller 
rait  straight  legs." 

Elsie  laughed  heartily  at  this.  "  Go  on  Gretchen,  Hans  is 
a  fine  looking  young  man,  we  all  know." 

"  Veil  den  I  say  to  him,  « Hans,  you  vas  now  twenty-one 
yahre  old,  an  your  old  mudder  vill  give  you  one  present  for 
your  birthday.  You  go  to  the  Schneider  in  Melville  and  let 
yourself  made  a  fine  schwallo  tail  sute,  und  den  you  go  to  de 
hat  macher  und  buy  one  fine  hat.'  Dot  sute  und  hat  cost  me 
more  as  forty  dollars  mit  a  white  nectye  und  a  pair  of  boots." 
Here  the  good  woman  paused,  quite  red  in  the  face  with 
the  exertion  of  talking. 


116  THE  EUSSIAN   KEFUGEE. 

"  Why,  how  nice  that  was  of  you,  such  a  useful  birthday 
present  too,"  said  her  hearer,  greatly  amused  at  her  voluble 
description. 

"Och!  but  I  vas  to  plame,  too.  I  say,  now  mein  boy 
Hans,  you  see  vot  your  m  udder  done  for  you.  You  make 
dot  sute  on,  und  go  nach  Millville  und  show  you  Aunt  and 
dose  Dutchmans  there,  vot  a  fine  son  Gretchen  has  got." 

"Hans  must  have  looked  very  fine,  indeed,  with  that  new 
suit  on,"  smilingly  remarked  Elsie,  who  knew  Hans  to  be  as 
good-natured  lazy  fellow,  rather  too  fond  of  beer. 

"Ya,  y a, "laughed the  pleased  mother,  "Hans  is  a  fine  fel- 
ler, but  he  treat  too  much." 

Elsie  now  noticed  that  Hiram  was  making  grotesque 
signs  that  he  wanted  to  speak  to  her.  Carefully  watching 
Mr.  Hastings,  he  would  take  advantage  of  any  momentary 
inattention,  to  distort  his  visage  and  signify  by  marvellous 
jerks  of  his  head  that  the  visit  was  for  her  and  not  for  her 
father.  It  at  once  occurred  to  her  that  he  had  some  mes- 
sage from  her  cave  friends,  from  whom  she  had  not  heard 
directly  or  indirectly  since  parting  from  them. 

"  Father,  Gretchen  wants  to  explain  to  you  about  Hans' 
little  trouble  in  the  village  the  other  night,  and  Hiram  will 
come  and  show  me  how  to  fix  a  place  that  Zoe  can't  jump 
out  of.  You  know  you  promised  to  come  and  fix  it  for  me 
ever  so  long  ago,  Hiram." 

Hiram  rose  with  alacrity,  his  face  showing  how  gratified 
he  was,  both  at  her  remark  and  also  at  the  opportunity  her 
tact  afforded  him  to  deliver  his  message,  or  make  his  com- 
munication, whatever  it  might  be.  Zoe  was  a  fawn,  a  few 
months  old,  which  Hiram  had  captured  and  presented  to 
Elsie,  and  which  had  developed  a  jumping  power  which 
nothing  in  the  fence  way  had  hitherto  been  adequate  to 
restrain.  Elsie  knew  that  Gretchen  had  come  with  Hiram 
much  against  his  will,  for  he  rarely  brought  her,  if  he 
wished  to  transact  any  business  for  himself.  Gretchen's 


THE  EUSSIAN   KEFUGEE.  117 

object,  she  surmised,  was  to  ask  Mr.  Hastings  to  take  Hans 
into  his  employment ;  and  as  the  young  German  had  become 
intoxicated  in  the  village  on  his  birthday,  and  had  suffered 
temporary  detention  by  the  justice,  in  consequence,  this 
was  what  his  mother  meant  when  she  said  he  treated  too 
much. 

Hiram  lost  no  time  in  revealing  the  cause  of  his  eager- 
ness for  an  interview.  He  immediately,  with  many  watch- 
ful glances  around,  with  the  small  ferret-like,  but  wonder- 
fully keen  eyes,  produced  a  letter  from  one  of  the  immense 
deerskin  depositaries  which  he  termed  his  haversacks. 

''The  old  one  sent  yerthis,  Miss  Elsie,  and  told  me  to 
guve  it  inter  yer  own  two  hands  ;  an  Hiram's  jest  the  boy 
ter  do  it." 

So  saying,  he  put  the  folded  paper  into  her  outstretched 
hand,  which  he  imprisoned  in  his  mighty  palm,  until  he 
brought  her  other  hand  and  placed  it  on  the  top  of  the 
letter  ;  then,  holding  both  her  small  hands  with  the  letter 
between  them  in  the  depths  of  his  own,  completely  hiding 
them  from  view,  letter  and  all,  he  stood  for  an  instant  in- 
tently regarding  her,  and  then  laughing  softly  to  himself. 

"  Guess  Ve  done  it  cordin'  to  ther  old  one's  directions, 
guess  that's  right.  Naow,  Miss  Elsie,  read  that  are  an'  tell 
me  what  yer  think." 

So  saying  the  captives  were  allowed  to  emerge  from  the 
darkness  of  their  fleshly  dungeon  with  the  white  messenger 
between  them. 

Elsie  eagerly  opened  the  letter  and  read  : 

"MY  DEAR  CHILD  :  This  will  be  put  in  your  hands  by  the  ever 
faithful  Hiram.  We  have  mourned  much  at  your  absence.  Nadia 
is  sad,  and  Sophia  sheds  tears  at  your  leaving.  We  so  wish  you  to 
come  and  see  us.  Trust  Hiram,  he  will  arrange  all.  The  harsh 
winter  hindered  our  sending  to  you  before  this.  Hiram  will  guide 
you  all  right.  Your  father  and  doctor  gives  his  blessing. 

THE  EXILE." 


118  THE   RUSSIAN  REFUGEE. 

Elsie  looked  up  inquiringly  at  the  countenance  which 
she  knew  was  watching  her  every  motion.  There  was  a 
mere  suspicion  of  a  smile  on  the  rugged  face,  but  he  was 
evidently  waiting  for  her  to  speak. 

"  You  know  what  is  in  this,  Hiram.     "When  shall  we  go  ?  " 

The  trapper  smiled  one  of  his  wonted  facial  grimaces 
and  answered,  softly. 

"Tell  me  the  writing ;  durn  me  ef  Hiram  hisself  kin  fix  it." 

Elsie  recollected  that  the  honest  fellow  could  not  read 
written  characters,  although  he  was  a  fair  reader  of  print, 
but,  the  letter  being  unsealed,  she  naturally  supposed  he 
was  acquainted  with  the  contents.  She  read  the  note  to 
him,  and  was  much  gratified  in  witnessing  his  satisfaction 
at  the  way  in  which  he  was  alluded  to  in  it. 

"  To-morrow  ?  "  he  said,  interrogatively. 

"Yes,"  she  responded,  brightly.  "I  can  easily  go  to- 
morrow. What  time  ?  " 

"  The  old  one,  said  he,  '  Hiram,  bring  Miss  Elsie  soon's 
you  can,'  an  I  jest  telled  him  '  durn  my  butes  ef  I  don't.'  " 

"Well  then,  Hiram,  I  will  be  ready  at  ten  o'clock.  Shall 
we  ride  or  walk  ?  How  far  is  it  ?" 

"  Mebbe  we'd  better  foot  it,  'tain't  far,  leastways  for  folks 
as  yerself." 

Hiram  was  very  proud  of  Elsie's  walking  ability,  prob- 
ably because  she  was  in  this  such  a  contrast  to  other  women, 
especially  his  wife,  whose  locomotive  powers  he  held  in 
unlimited  contempt. 

The  trapper  fidgetted  around  nervously,  as  if  he  had  still 
something  on  his  mind,  which  his  companion  perceiving, 
said,  encouragingly  : 

"  You  want  to  tell  me  something  else  ;  speak  out  plainly." 

"Wall,  Miss  Elsie,  I  du  feel  kinder  put  aeout.  Twist 
his  neck  but  it's  sorter  wrong.  Blamed  ef  it  ain't." 

"  Just  you  tell  me  and  then  I'll  decide  whether  it  is 
wrong  or  not,  Hiram." 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  119 

Again  those  movements  and  that  stride  up  and  down  the 
yard,  where  they  had  been  talking  in  the  warm  sunshine 
of  the  early  spring.  Finally  he  paused  in  front  of  her  and, 
looking  off  into  the  distance,  blurted  out : 

"Durn  my  buttons,  but  the  old  one  said,  'Hiram,  tell 
Miss  Elsie  from  me,'  thet's  the  old  one's  self  mind  ye,  Miss 
Elsie  ;  says  he,  '  it  may  be  best  to  blind  yer  eyes  fur  a  bit 
afore  going  in  ' — der  yer  see?  " 

The  poor  fellow  seemed  so  utterly  distressed  at  having 
to  even  hint  such  a  thing  to  her,  that  she  hastened  to  re- 
lieve him  by  saying  : 

"  Of  course,  Hiram,  if  the  doctor  wishes,  I  don't  mind 
one  bit." 

"Wall  yer  know,"  the  trapper  quickly  added,  much  re- 
lieved at  the  little  annoyance  she  manifested,  "  the  old 
one,  said  he,  '  'twill  save  Miss  Elsie  from  heving  to  answer 
onpleasant  questions,  cause  she  kin  say  she  don't  know,  ef 
she  don't.' " 

So  it  was  all  settled,  and  the  fawn  being  duly  inspected, 
and  suggestions  given  and  received  concerning  its  future 
restraint,  the  two  friends — for  such  in  a  very  real  sense  they 
were,  if  affection  on  one  side,  and  a  thorough  respect  for 
courage  and  incorruptible  manhood  on  the  other,  can  con- 
stitute a  basis  for  friendship — returned  to  the  room  where 
they  had  left  Mr.  Hastings  and  Gretchen.  The  latter 
seemed  in  high  spirits,  for  Mr.  Hastings  had  agreed  to  take 
Hans  into  his  employ,  on  condition  that  he  agree  to  leave 
his  wages  in  Mr.  Hastings'  hands  to  be  banked  for  him, 
clothing  and  necessaries  being  bought  for  him  when  needed  ; 
"  but  he  can  have  no  money  until  such  time  as  I  consider 
that  he  is  cured  of  this  abominable  bar-drinking  habit." 

"Danke  Meester  Hastings.  Hans  must  do  it  already. 
Ach  I  vas  to  plame.  Mein  boy  is  a  fine  feller,  only  he  treat 
too  much.  Ya,  ya,  he  treat  too  much  yet." 


CHAPTEK  XH. 
SUBTERRANEAN  HISTORY. 

BEFOEE  departing,  Hiram  had  arranged  to  meet  Elsie  at  a 
certain  unfrequented  spot  about  a  mile  from  the  Hermitage. 
She  did  not  inform  her  father,  for  he  had  left  her  free  to 
act  as  she  saw  fit  in  reference  to  this  matter.  Early  the 
next  morning  she  was  selecting  and  putting  in  shape  some 
little  presents  which  she  had  procured  for  her  friends  of 
the  cave  weeks  before,  in  anticipation  of  this  visit.  Then 
she  took  a  brisk  walk  in  the  bright  spring  air,  for  March 
was  almost  gone,  and  winter  had  gracefully  yielded  to  the 
more  genial  season.  Of  course,  it  was  to  be  expected 
that  the  grim  white  frosted  old  veteran  would  occasionally 
return  during  the  coming  few  weeks,  in  order  to  note  how 
his  fair-haired  son,  with  the  rosy  cheeks  and  sunny  smile, 
was  behaving  himself,  before  he  surrendered  matters  to 
him  entirely  ;  but  he  had  not  shown  his  face  for  several  days. 

"  Wall,  du  tell,  Miss  Elsie,  yer  tripped  along  so  kinder 
light  and  quick  that  I  sorter  thought'd  mought  be  a  rabbit 
or  fawn,  and  put  up  squeaking  Jim  here,"  patting  his  gun 
affectionately,  "ready  like,  yer  see." 

"  "Why,  Hiram,  you  don't  mean  to  say  you  would  have 
shot  me  for  a  rabbit.  I  think  I  had  better  wear  a  bell 
round  my  neck  so  as  to  warn  you  of  my  coming,  another 
time." 

"No — no,  Miss  Elsie,  Hiram  niver  shoots  tall  he  sees 
what  kind  o'  game  is  er  going  to  drop." 

"  Well,  then,  I  hope  you'll  always  take  a  good  look  before 
you  point  squeaking  Jim  in  my  direction." 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  121 

"  Miss  Elsie,  ef  squeaking  Jim  iver  points  at  any  critter 
thet  critter's  gone  shure." 

It  was  no  idle  boast,  for  the  hunter  was  considered  the 
best  shot  around.  His  strength  of  hands  and  extraordi- 
nary eyesight  gave  him  almost  unrivalled  skill  as  a  marks- 
man. Hiram  proposed  to  walk  on  ahead  so  as  not  to 
attract  notice  to  them,  in  case  they  should  meet  any  travel- 
lers, Elsie  to  saunter  leisurely  after  until  she  observed  him 
halt,  as  a  sign  to  her  to  stay  at  that  point  on  reaching  it, 
until  further  directions.  The  country  was  quite  familiar 
to  her — she  had  been  over  the  same  part  frequently,  al- 
though it  was  out  of  the  line  of  ordinary  travel. 

"  I  wonder  where  the  entrance  to  that  cave  is  ;  strange 
that  it  has  not  been  discovered  by  some  of  the  long-time 
dwellers  here  ?  "  she  said  to  herself.  After  keeping  the 
tall  form  of  the  trapper  in  sight  for  about  a  mile,  she  saw 
him  suddenly  pause  for  an  instant,  raise  his  right  arm, 
and  then  vanish  from  her  sight.  So  sudden  and  totally 
unexpected  was  his  disappearance,  that  the  young  lady 
was  startled ;  but,  recovering  herself  in  a  second,  she  started 
briskly  forward  toward  the  spot,  laughing  heartily  to  her- 
self at  the  celerity  with  which  the  guide's  tall  figure  had 
been  hidden  from  view.  Reaching  the  place  she  peered 
around  in  search  of  any  opening  or  chasm  or  hollow  where 
Hiram  might  be  hidden,  but  in  vain.  No  living  thing  was 
in  sight — she  seemed  to  stand  alone  upon  a  little  mound 
which  gave  a  pretty  fair  range  of  view  for  several  rods 
round  her.  There  were  clumps  of  stunted  bushes  here 
and  there,  and  she  not  unnaturally  supposed  the  trapper 
might  have  glided  along  the  ground  to  one  of  these,  and 
she  knew  he  was  agile  enough  for  anything.  She  stood 
viewing  the  landscape,  and  trying  to  identify  different  dis- 
tant points  so  as  to  get  her  bearings,  when,  in  turning 
finally,  in  the  direction  from  which  she  had  come,  she  saw 
the  trapper's  tall  person  between  her  and  the  horizon. 


122  THE  RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

His  uprising  was  as  surprising  and  unexpected  as  his 
downgoing,  but  here  he  was  close  to  her,  advancing  with 
something  else  than  squeaking  Jim  in  his  hand  this  time. 
It  looked  like  a  flag,  and  he  carried  it  as  an  enemy  might 
bring  a  flag  of  truce  to  the  commander  of  the  opposite 
forces.  Only  a  silk  handkerchief  of  some  foreign  pattern 
the  supposed  flag  proved  to  be,  and  this,  Hiram,  with  many 
apologies,  asked  that  she  would  bind  over  her  eyes,  before 
they  proceeded  any  further.  He  seemed  to  be  devouring 
some  internal  chagrin  at  having  to  ask  such  a  thing.  Elsie 
cheerfully  did  as  requested. 

"It  will  be  like  playing  at  blind  man's  buff  again,  Hiram. 
There,  I  am  as  blind  as  a  bat,  and  you  will  have  to  lead  me." 

"Miss  Elsie,"  said  the  trapper,  solemnly,  "I'd  ruther'd 
lost  squeaking  Jim  than  ter  hev  to  fix  yer  in  this  sorter  style, 
blamed  ef  er  wouldn't." 

Whereupon  Hiram  lightly  touched  her  arm,  saying,  hus- 
kily, "you'll  exquize  Hiram,  but  mebbe  if  I  tooken  yer 
hand  I  kin  sorter  show  yer  the  way  easy  like." 

"  Just  the  thing,  Hiram,"  Elsie  promptly  answered,  sym- 
pathizing with  the  poor  fellow's  vexation  at  being  a  party 
to  what  he  considered  an  unpardonable  imposition  upon 
the  young  woman.  "  You  know  we  walked  many  a  long 
mile  when  I  was  a  little  girl  this  way.  You  don't  forget 
the  long  trips  we  used  to  take  together  ?  " 

"  Sh'd  think  er  did  member'  em.  True's  preachin',  Miss 
Elsie,  yer  was  a  streak  er  sunshine  in  Hiram's  old  life,  liv- 
ing alone  an  hunting  critters." 

"  That  was  before  you  met  Gretchen,"  said  his  compan- 
ion ;  "  she  makes  sunshine  for  you  now  ?  " 

"  Gretchen,  wall  mebbe  she  does,"  repeated  he,  slowly, 
and  as  she  thought,  somewhat  doubtfully.  "  Mebbe  she 
does,  but  'casionally  the  sun  pears  to  hev  forgot  to  riz,  or 
cloudy  or  suthin' ;  yaas  Gretchen's  sunshine's  pooty  good 
when  it's  not  streaked  with  thunner  an  lightning." 


THE  KUSSIAN  KEFUGEE.  123 

Hiram  here  paused  in  their  rapid  walk,  -which  had 
been  taxing  Elsie's  breathing  capacity  to  the  utmost,  al- 
though he  thought  how  nicely  he  had  succeeded  in  mov- 
ing forward,  as  he  expressed  it  afterward  to  Gretchen, 
"  suthin'  like  er  snail,  jest  to  soot  her."  Saying  softly, 
"  Yer'll  not  be  scared,"  he  whistled  a  few  notes  so  marvel- 
lously like  the  whippoorwill  that  his  companion  was  start- 
led at  finding  the  bird  so  close  to  her,  and  then  laughed 
at  her  own  mistake,  remembering  how  he  used  in  other 
years  to  delight  her  childhood  by  his  wonderful  mimicry 
of  the  different  cries  of  the  denizens  of  the  wilds  and  woods, 
the  "  folks  in  fur  an  feathers,"  as  he  termed  them. 

"  Mind  yer  foots,  Miss  Elsie,  we're  kind  er  goin'  down 
hill  here."  She  followed  his  lead  with  perfect  confidence, 
conscious  that  they  had  left  the  daylight  and  were  prob- 
ably underground.  Presently  she  heard  him  strike  a  light 
and  could  half  distinguish  the  flash  of  it  through  the  folds 
of  the  silk.  The  world  changes  when  we  cover  the  sight. 
The  other  senses  are  sharpened  immediately,  and  the 
whole  inner  life  seems  pressing  to  the  surface,  asking,  as  it 
were,  to  be  enlisted  in  the  service  to  substitute  the  lost 
vision.  Peerless  sense  of  sight,  what  can  atone  for  thy  ab- 
sence? Nothing  on  earth.  How  tenderly  and  helpfully 
we  should  feel  toward  those  who  walk  the  sun-lit  earth, 
shrouded  in  night — seen,  but  alas  !  unseeing  !  After  about 
ten  minutes'  almost  silent  travelling  in  what  the  chilly, 
damp  atmosphere  convinced  her  was  a  subterranean  pas- 
sage, her  guide,  who  had  only  spoken  a  cheering  word  now 
and  then,  suddenly  stopped  and  exclaimed  joyfully  : 

"  Here  we  be,  Miss  Elsie  ;  durned  ef  I  bain't  thundering 
glad  too,  so'ser  put  that  pesky  thing  off  yer  eyes." 

So  saying  her  faithful  pioneer  carefully  untied  the  knot 
and  restored  her  vision.  Somewhat  blinded  at  first  by  the 
light,  dim  as  it  was,  she  stood  a  moment  to  recover  her 
balance  and  then  opened  her  eyes  widely  to  find  the  old 


124  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

familiar  room  and   objects  which  had,  during  those   few 
weeks  of  her  cave  life,  become  so  dear  to  her. 

"  Slava  Bogu  "  saluted  her  ears,  and  a  small  form  com- 
ing swiftly  out  of  the  shadows  seized  her  hands  and  kissed 
them  eagerly,  first  one,  and  then  the  other.  Taking 
Sophia  in  her  arms  the  visitor  kissed  her  fondly,  and 
"Slava  Bogu,"  said  another  well  remembered  voice,  as  she 
turned  to  be  warmly  greeted  by  Nadia.  All  the  English 
expressions  which  these  two  had  learned  from  her  were 
speedily  brought  into  practice,  and  indeed  she  found  that 
the  girl  had  added  considerably  to  her  stock  and  could 
hold  quite  a  conversation.  As  far  as  possible,  considering 
the  verbal  limitation,  questions  were  asked  and  answered, 
and  the  two  Russians  were  made  happy  by  the  presents 
which  were  brought  for  them.  A  handsome  necklace  and 
warm,  pretty  shawl  for  the  young  maiden,  and  a  small  gold 
watch  with  her  name  engraved  on  it  for  the  mother.  Elsie 
felt  that  she  would  not  dare  to  offer  direct  remuneration  to 
the  cave  Patriarch,  for  on  hinting  such  a  thing  while  un- 
der his  care,  his  brow  had  darkened  and  he  informed  her 
that  to  his  race  the  laws  of  hospitality  were  sacred,  so  she 
adopted  this  plan  of  showing  in  some  degree  her  gratitude. 
Hiram  had  disappeared  on  the  entrance  of  the  others,  with- 
out even  waiting  for  her  to  recover  clear  vision.  But 
another  was  soon  added  to  the  group,  and  the  friendly 
hand  of  the  Exile  clasped  hers,  and  his  paternal  kiss  on 
the  forehead  with  the  words  "welcome  my  daughter" 
made  her  feel  thoroughly  at  home.  She  looked  at  him 
earnestly.  "With  that  rare  grace  of  manner  and  dignity  of 
demeanor  she  thought  he  was  indeed  the  finest  example  of 
majestic  age  she  had  ever  beheld.  The  mild  features, 
wreathed  by  the  snowy  hair  and  beard,  seemed  on  this  oc- 
casion unusually  benignant.  And  the  voice  so  full  and 
mellow  had  little  of  the  tremulousness  of  very  advanced 
life. 


THE   RUSSIAN   EEFUGEE.  125 

"  We  have  been  pained  at  your  lengthened  absence,  my 
dear  child,  but  we  knew  of  your  welfare." 

"Oh,  I  have  thought  of  you  all  ever  so  often,"  returned 
Elsie,  warmly,  "  and  I  am  so  glad  to  be  with  you  again." 

"  Hiram  brought  you  quite  safely.  He  is  a  faithful  fel- 
low and  much  attached  to  you  and  your  father." 

"  One  of  the  best  men  in  the  world.  He  has  known  me 
ever  since  I  was  three  years  old.  Yes,  he  took  every  care 
of  me,  even  to  blinding  my  eyes,"  she  said,  smiling. 

They  all  laughed  at  this,  even  Sophia  and  her  mother 
seeming  to  comprehend  the  point.  Nadia  soon  left,  but 
Sophia  seemed  as  if  she  must  hold  on  to  the  newly  recov- 
ered treasure,  and  held  her  hand  fast,  sitting  by  her  side. 

"  I  should  have  asked  you,  my  child,  to  visit  us  before 
this,  but  it  was  difficult  during  the  severe  winter  to  reach 
here  without  hardship,  and  also  another  reason  which  I 
will  explain." 

At  a  sign  from  him  the  little  maiden  rose  reluctantly  to 
leave  the  apartment,  but  she  cast  back  such  yearning,  tear- 
ful looks  at  Elsie,  who  also  looked  distressed,  that  the  old 
gentleman  relented,  and  at  a  word  from  him  in  Russian 
she  eagerly  resumed  her  former  position  by  her  friend's 
side. 

"  Sophia  knows  so  little  English,  and  as  our  conversation 
must  be  in  that  tongue,  her  presence  will  not  matter." 

Sophia  was  so  delighted  at  the  favor  that  she  rose,  and 
passing  to  his  side  took  his  hand  reverently  in  both  hers, 
pressed  her  lips  to  it  fervently,  and  then  resumed  her 
seat. 

"  I  have  for  some  time  wished  an  opportunity  to  explain 
to  you,  my  daughter,  much  that  may  have  surprised  and 
perhaps  vexed  you.  I  refer  to  the  concealment,  the  mys- 
tery, which  seemed  to  characterize  our  dealings  with  you. 
Why  should  we  live  in  a  cave  apart  from  the  outside  world  ? 
Why  be  averse  to  answer  questions  ?  Why  refuse  to  per 


126  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

mit  your  friends  to  visit  you,  or  even  know  your  location 
during  your  residence  here  ?  Why  ask  that  you  consent  to 
be  blindfolded  while  being  led  to  this  place  ?  These  and 
many  other  questions  must  have  often  occurred  to  you, 
both  during  your  stay  with  us  and  also  since.  I  am  pain- 
fully aware  that  our  conduct,  especially  in  the  last  two  in- 
stances, must  have  appeared  suspicious,  unreasonable,  and 
even  cruel." 

He  paused  for  a  moment,  and  his  hearer  at  once  ex- 
claimed earnestly,  "  Oh,  no,  no,  not  cruel.  I  may  have 
thought  these  things  were  peculiar  and  strange,  but  never 
unkind  or  cruel  for  a  moment.  You  could  not  be  that." 

"  Thank  you,  my  dear,  for  your  confidence  in  us,  and  to- 
day I  purpose  showing  you  that  your  trust  is  not  mis- 
placed. We  do  live  peculiarly  and  unlike  other  people,  but 
there  are  abundant  reasons  for  it.  I  told  you  I  was  an 
exile.  I  am  more.  I  am  also  a  refugee ! " 

She  started,  which  he,  observing  her  keenly,  noticed  at 
once,  and  repeated  a  trifle  bitterly,  "  Yes,  a  refugee  from 
justice,  that  is,"  he  added,  seeing  her  look  of  distress, 
"  Eussian  justice,  which  in  any  other  country  on  the  globe 
would  mean  injustice,  despotism,  tyranny." 

"  In  my  youth,"  he  resumed,  after  a  pause,  which  she 
did  not  try  to  interrupt,  so  completely  did  he  seem  to  be 
lost  in  thought,  "  a  hot-headed  student  at  college,  I  joined 
a  radical  club  in  St.  Petersburg,  which  had  for  its  object 
the  civil  and  political  freedom  of  our  beloved  country.  The 
members  were  drawn  from  the  students'  ranks  principally, 
and  it  numbered  in  its  fold  some  of  the  best  and  bravest 
blood  Eussia  could  boast.  We  were  reckless  and  inexperi- 
enced, and  owing,  I  must  confess,  largely  to  our  own  indis- 
cretion, we  finally  became  objects  of  attention  to  the 
police.  To  be  once  suspected  in  Eussia  is  to  be  con- 
demned in  advance,  and  all  that  the  authorities  then  desire 
is  an  opportunity  to  bring  the  victim  to  trial,  in  order 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  127 

that  by  a  legal  farce  they  may  be  able  to  formally  indorse 
the  sentence  long  before  passed  on  the  accused.  But  with 
the  vast  majority  of  suspected  political  offenders  in  my 
country,  this  trial,  farcical  as  it  is,  is  not  public,  for  the 
citizens  at  large  are  assumed  to  have  no  interest  or  rights 
in  the  matter.  It  concerns  the  government  alone.  However, 
to  lessen  the  fatigue  of  listening,  let  me  hasten  to  explain 
my  own  connection  with  the  '  Scarlet  Circle,'  the  name 
of  our  society.  Each  member  was  obliged  to  take  a  most 
impressive  and  stringent  oath — weighted  with  penalties  from 
mutilation  to  death,  according  to  the  offence — to  obey  un- 
questioningly  all  commands  of  the  council  whatsoever- 
You  will  say  it  was  madness  to  take  such  an  oath,  and  it 
was,  but  we  were  full  of  enthusiasm  and  generous  ardor, 
deeply  feeling  the  hideous  wrongs  under  which  our 
country  was  writhing  in  agony — in  short,  we  were  young, 
and  when  does  youth  reason  ?  I  said  we  were  indiscreet 
and  young,  but  our  enemies  were  old,  crafty,  and  as  silent 
as  the  grave,  they  encouraged  indirectly  our  meetings  and 
inflammatory  utterances,  gradually  weaving  around  us  the 
meshes  of  one  of  the  most  astute  and  wide-reaching  systems 
of  surveillance  that  exists  on  earth,  not  even  excepting  that 
in  Paris.  The  end  might  easily  have  been  foreseen.  It 
was  the  old  story  of  the  moths  and  the  candle.  One  night 
the  police  swooped  upon  us,  as  an  eagle  on  its  prey,  and 
with  the  exception  of  some  five  or  six,  who  by  sheer 
strength  and  some  favoring  opportunity  from  the  confu- 
sion and  darkness,  captured  the  entire  society.  It  was  a 
special  meeting  called  to  consider  a  measure  which  we  had 
long  contemplated,  but  now  proposed  to  take  measures  to 
carry  out.  Not  a  man  was  absent,  and  the  success  of  the 
authorities  was  complete,  with  the  few  exceptions  men- 
tioned, of  which  I  happened  to  be  one.  I  weary  you  with 
this  long  story,  in  which  naturally  your  young  life  cannot 
feel  much  interest." 


128  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

"No,  indeed,  I  am  intensely  interested  and  curious  to 
hear  the  rest,"  returned  his  listener,  whose  thoroughly 
absorbed  manner  and  attitude  during  the  recital  proved 
the  truth  of  her  statement. 

The  old  man  smiled  in  a  way  that  showed  his  gratifica- 
tion and  at  once  proceeded  with  the  history.  "  How  we 
managed  to  hide  ourselves  from  the  persistent  and  relent- 
less agents  of  the  government  is  not  pertinent  to  my  story 
to  relate,  at  least  not  at  present.  It  taught  the  St.  Peters- 
burg police  and  the  Czar's  army  of  spies  and  secret 
agents  that  they  were  not  omnipotent,  for  they  were  com- 
pletely foiled.  Of  those  arrested,  after  the  usual  travesty 
of  justice  behind  closed  doors,  it  was  publicly  announced 
that  forty  conspirators  against  the  peace  of  Russia  had 
been  convicted  and  sent  to  Siberia  for  life.  The  rest  suf- 
fered various  terms  of  imprisonment,  so  the  'Scarlet  Circle, ' 
those  in  power  fondly  believed,  was  destroyed  root  and 
branch.  Unfortunately,  on  account  of  the  Circle,  I  had  a 
short  time  previously  been  brought  specially  under  the 
notice  of  the  police  and  was  now  diligently  sought  for. 
Doubtless  every  house  in  the  city  was  entered  in  the  search 
for  me  and  my  comrades,  but,  as  I  said  before,  in  vain. 
Although  every  avenue  leading  fro,m  the  capital  was 
watched  by  sharp  eyes,  yet  we  managed  to  escape  and 
reached  other  countries.  I  came  to  America,  very  doubt- 
ful if  I  could  ever  live  safely  in  my  native  country  again, 
but  yet  more  determined  than  ever  to  work  for  her  en- 
franchisement. It  requires  opposition  to  develop  the  la- 
tent resources  of  humanity. 

"  In  spite  of  the  immensely  powerful  machinery  under 
control  of  the  authorities  '  Scarlet  Circle '  societies  sprang 
up  everywhere.  Within  a  year  after  my  leaving  Russia 
there  was  not  a  town  of  any  importance  in  that  country 
but  had  a  branch  of  the  secret  organization,  whose  symbol 
was  the  blood-red  ring.  There  were  hundreds  of  political 


THE  ETJSSIAN  KEFUGEE.  129 

refugees  in  this  country  who,  like  myself,  had  escaped  from 
the  tender  mercies  of  the  Czar,  and  sooner  or  later  became 
members  of  the  association.  Indeed,  they  were  eager  to 
join  any  body  or  engage  in  any  work  which  had  for  its  ul- 
timate object  the  relief  of  their  Fatherland  from  the  de- 
structive rule  of  an  iniquitous  despotism,  which  regarded 
the  people  as  so  many  rightless  feeders  of  the  rapacious 
imperial  house  with  its  army  of  conscienceless  myrmidons. 
On  account  of  my  previous  experience  I  was  soon  elected 
as  chief  of  the  'Head  Circle'  on  this  continent.  We  had 
constant  communication  with  each  other  and  with  our 
friends  in  Russia.  What  occurred  in  our  circle  was  soon 
known  in  every  other,  the  world  over,  for  we  have  members 
wherever  Russians  live.  Finally  I  was  summoned  by  the 
controlling  council  to  return  to  Russia  and  join  in  their 
deliberations.  So  very  many  years,  over  forty,  having 
elapsed,  I  did  not  much  fear  recognition,  and  yet  despotic 
governments  never  forget.  The  memory  of  hate  is  tena- 
cious. I  had  some  misgivings  at  going  and  leaving  my 
wife  and  son,  for  I  had  long  years  before  met  and  married 
a  native  of  sunny  Italy,  and  my  only  child  was  a  boy  of 
tender  years.  But  my  oath  was  sacred,  and  having  prom- 
ised obedience,  I  should  have  gone  even  if  the  danger  had 
been  very  much  greater  than  it  really  was.  I  was  not  recog- 
nized, for  comparatively  few  of  my  foes  who  had  known  me 
in  my  former  experiences  were  living.  I  remained  some 
months  in  the  metropolis  of  the  empire,  and  executed  sev- 
eral urgent  and  perilous  commissions  for  the  Grand  Chief. 
Singularly  fortunate  in  my  enterprises,  I  seemed  not  even  to 
have  drawn  suspicion  on  me,  when  one  unlucky  night,  leav- 
ing the  council  chamber  with  credentials  and  special  instruc- 
tions for  a  provincial  council  some  hundreds  of  miles  away, 
I  felt  that  I  was  being  shadowed. 

"  As  I  was  to  start  for  my  destination  before  daylight 
next  morning,  and  should  probably  be  absent  several  weeks, 


130  THE  EUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

I  felt  confident  in  ultimately  outwitting  the  police,  even 
supposing  they  had  recognized  me,  which  was  hardly  likely, 
if  I  could  elude  the  foe  who  was  now  dogging  my  footsteps. 
The  case  to  me  was  plain  as  daylight.  I  was  suspected. 
The  government  hounds  were  on  my  track,  and  I  was  to  be 
run  to  kennel  with  abundant  evidence  on  my  person  to 
send  me  to  Siberia  for  life.  All  the  horrors  of  that  north- 
ern servitude,  separation,  worse  than  by  death,  from  my 
family,  now  looking  for  my  near  arrival  home,  stared  me 
in  the  face.  To  go  to  the  Siberian  mines  would  be  burial 
alive — a  tortured  existence,  with  no  hope  of  escape  but  by 
death.  I  resolved  at  once  that  I  would  not  be  taken.  I 
was  well  armed  and  I  would  defend  myself  to  the  last.  To 
proceed  to  my  lodgings  would  be  fatal,  so  nothing  was  left 
but  to  try  and  lose  my  follower  in  the  varied  windings 
which  one  as  familiar  with  St.  Petersburg  as  I  was  could 
easily  make.  After  a  couple  of  hours  spent  in  this  attempt, 
but  without  avail,  I  knew  that  matters  must  speedily  be 
brought  to  a  crisis,  for  my  conveyance  left  for  the  West  at 
two  o'clock,  and  it  was  now  after  twelve.  On,  on,  like  a 
sleuth  hound  came  that  untiring  enemy.  Now  and  then  I 
caught  a  glimpse  of  him,  but  he  was  wary,  and  gave  me  no 
fair  chance  to  determine  his  special  character,  although  I 
was  satisfied  from  his  bearing  that  he  was  a  government 
detective  and  a  man,  I  judged,  of  about  the  same  age  as 
myself. 

"  'Heaven  help  him,  then,'  I  said  to  myself  at  length,  'he 
must  die  for  the  good  of  Kussia.'  I  shrank  from  taking 
life  unnecessarily,  not  being  naturally  bloodthirsty,  but  I 
would  not  go  to  Siberia,  and  at  the  same  time  by  suffering 
myself  to  be  arrested  implicate  my  associates  by  the  opera- 
tion of  circumstances  which  would  then  be  beyond  my 
control,  giving  a  clue  to  their  identity  and  residence.  I  at 
once  made  my  way  rapidly  to  some  vacant  lots  in  the  sub- 
urbs, and  not  very  far  from  my  lodging.  Here  I  decided 


THE  RUSSIAN   BEFTJGEE.  131 

to  conceal  myself  until  the  spy  came  boldly  to  the  front 
and  showed  his  real  intention.  I  soon  found  shelter  be- 
hind an  old  wall,  on  one  side  of  a  small  parade  ground, 
which  had  been  deserted  for  some  time.  In  a  few  moments 
my  relentless  pursuer  came  up  and  stepping  cautiously 
from  the  shadow  into  the  imperfect  moonlight  peered 
anxiously  about.  There  was  no  time  to  hesitate  ;  in  a  mo- 
ment more  he  would  see  me,  so  I  resolved  to  take  the  in- 
itiative, and  sprung  toward  him  pistol  in  hand. 

"'"What  do  you  mean,'  I  exclaimed,  'by  following  me 
in  this  way?  what  do  you  want  with  me  ? ' 

"  The  man  stepped  back,  seemingly  startled  by  my  sud- 
den appearance,  but  immediately  recovered  himself  and 
covered  me  with  his  weapon. 

"  '  Outlaw  ! '  he  hissed,  venomously  ;  'I  know  you  ;  the 
game  is  up  ;  surrender  on  your  life  ! '  at  the  same  instant 
throwing  open  his  loose  outer  garment  and  displaying  his 
badge  as  a  captain  of  the  secret  police.  At  once  his  identity 
flashed  on  me,  and  I  remembered  him  as  a  man  who  had 
professed  great  friendship  for  me  in  my  early  experience 
with  the  Circle,  and  after  the  arrest  had  shown  himself  par- 
ticularly zealous  in  collecting  evidence  against  the  captives 
and  in  instituting  rigid  search  for  those  of  us  who  escaped. 
Too  late  we  discovered  that  he  was  a  spy  in  government 
employ,  and  so  well  had  he  dissembled  that  he  was  once 
ballotted  on  for  admission  to  the  order. 

"  Many  an  oath  had  I  heard  registered  to  take  the  life  of 
the  spy  Rignault  if  opportunity  ever  offered,  and  here  was 
the  man  now  facing  me  in  the  moonlight,  with  a  sneer  of 
triumph  distorting  his  hateful  features.  Yes,  the  recog- 
nition was  mutual,  although  his  discovery  of  my  personality 
had  doubtless  been  made  some  hours  before.  I  rapidly 
reasoned  that  he  was  too  eager  to  capture  me  and  so  earn 
reward  and  promotion  by  the  arrest  of  an  old  offender — 
for  there  was  a  standing  price  upon  my  head — and  so 


132  THE   EUSSIAN  REFUGEE. 

would  not  fire  unless  as  a  last  resort ;  so  when  he  again 
summoned  me  to  surrender,  at  the  same  time  advancing 
upon  me,  I  rapidly  raised  my  pistol  and  fired  at  his  head 
point  blank.  So  sudden  had  been  my  movement  that  he 
had  not  time  to  anticipate  me,  although  as  my  bullet  en- 
tered his  brain  his  weapon  was  discharged,  but  the  ball 
failed  to  touch  me.  He  fell  prone,  and  without  pausing 
to  examine  further  I  fled  the  scene,  and  making  my  way 
rapidly  to  my  lodging,  was  within  an  hour  speeding  away 
from  the  city.  My  passports  having  been  carefully  pre- 
pared and  signed  through  the  influence  of  a  member  of  the 
Council,  who  was  related  to  a  prominent  official,  I  had  com- 
paratively little  trouble  in  reaching  my  destination.  Here 
I  executed  my  commission,  and  on  telling  my  story  it  was 
decided  that  it  would  be  madness  for  me  to  remain  in  the 
Czar's  dominions  any  longer,  and  so  after  one  or  two  narrow 
escapes  from  capture,  I  succeeded  in  reaching  this  country 
again  and  was  reunited  to  my  family.  I  soon  received  in- 
formation from  Kussia  that  Kignault  had  informed  the 
Bureau  of  Secret  Police  of  my  presence  in  the  capital,  and 
that  plans  had  been  taken  to  capture  me  the  next  day,  but 
that  he,  seeing  me  leave  the  Circle  rooms,  had  somehow  di- 
vined that  the  prey  was  about  to  escape,  by  one  of  those  in- 
tuitions which  detectives  and  policemen  sometimes  have,  and 
determined  to  follow  me  and,  if  necessary,  make  the  arrest 
himself  and  so  forestall  any  possible  intention  on  my  part. 
When  his  body  was  found,  it  was  at  once  surmised  as  to 
the  author  of  the  tragedy,  and  search  was  being  instituted 
everywhere.  I  should  probably  be  traced  to  America,  and 
requisition  would  be  made  for  me  as  an  escaped  mur- 
derer, so  I  was  warned  to  keep  out  of  sight  for  a  time  at 
least." 

The  aged  narrator  paused,  and  fixing  his  piercing  glance 
upon  the  young  lady,  asked,  in  a  low,  impressive  tone, 
"  Can  you  marvel  at  my  isolation  from  the  world,  or  the 


THE   KUSSIAN   KEFUGEE.  133 

mystery  and  secresy  which  surrounds  and  envelops  me  and 
mine  ?  " 

"  Oh,  dear,  what  a  wonderful  life,  what  an  eventful  his- 
tory, but  surely  you  are  safe  now.  All  these  dreadful 
things  happened  so  long  ago,  the  Kussian  Government  has 
forgotten,  has  it  not  ?  "  said  Elsie,  trembling  with  emotion 
and  interest,  for  the  singular  story  had  impressed  her  al- 
most beyond  expression. 

"No,  my  child,  not  so.  Governments  never  forget. 
Individuals  pass  away,  but  governments  or  dynasties  en- 
dure, and  their  memories  are  eternal.  In  my  country,  if 
I  can  be  said  to  have  a  country,  political  offences  are  neither 
forgotten  nor  forgiven.  True,  I  am  no  longer  hunted  for, 
as  I  am  naturally  supposed  to  be  dead,  but  should  I  again 
appear  to  the  world,  strange  questions  would  be  asked, 
my  nationality  soon  discovered,  and  some  travelling  fellow- 
countryman  would  carry  the  tale.  Besides,  I  have  a  cer- 
tain task  to  do  in  forwarding  this  great  work  going  on  in  ' 
Europe,  and  especially  in  Russia,  looking  to  the  destruction 
of  despotisms  and  the  elevation  of  the  oppressed  masses." 

"  But  surely,  surely,  you  are  not  a — oh,  it  cannot  be,  I 
will  not  believe  it  of  one  so  good  and  kind,"  exclaimed  the 
impulsive  hearer,  clasping  her  hands  together  fervently. 

"  Let  me  say  it  for  you,  that  dreadful  word  which  your 
gentle  lips  refuse  to  utter.  My  daughter,  I  see  the  word 
in  your  mind — Socialist.  That  word  is  not  so  bad  when  it 
is  spoken,  is  it?"  said  the  old  man,  smiling.  "Yes,  I  am 
afraid  I  am,  but  not  in  the  sense  perhaps  that  you  under- 
stand it.  Some  time  when  you  come  to  appreciate  the 
full  iniquity  of  our  rulers  and  our  hideous  wrongs — wrongs 
enough  to  make  the  very  stones  rise  in  bloody  mutiny — 
then  you  will  have  a  kinder  feeling  toward  the  poor  So- 
cialists. But  let  us  have  some  refreshment  and  then  I  will 
show  you  the  cave  as  I  promised  so  long  ago." 

Giving  signal  by  clapping  his  hands,  presently  Nadia 


134  THE  RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

and  her  daughter  appeared  bearing  the  necessary  things, 
and  soon  a  substantial  lunch  was  spread  upon  the  snowy 
cloth. 

"Sophia,  you  must  sit  by  me,"  said  the  young  lady. 
"  I  must  see  as  much  of  you  as  I  can  while  here,"  to  which 
the  young  Russian,  who  had  been  summoned  from  the 
room  before  the  patriarch's  story  ended,  to  help  her 
mother  as  Elsie  supposed,  joyfully  assented,  but  her 
parent,  with  due  regard  to  the  proprieties,  urged  that  they 
should  wait  on  the  table,  and  lunch  by  themselves  after- 
ward. 

"  No,  indeed  ;  please  let  me  have  my  way  for  this  once," 
pleaded  the  guest ;  "let  us  all  dine  together  and  help  our- 
selves— it  will  be  much  nicer  so.  "  And,  of  course,  she  car- 
ried her  point,  and  a  very  joyous  little  party  they  were. 

Elsie  was  delighted  to  be  able  to  use  her  Russian  again, 
and  with  the  skilful  aid  of  the  exile,  who,  like  most  of  his 
educated  countrymen,  was  an  accomplished  linguist,  she 
succeeded  in  mastering  the  pronunciation  of  some  words 
that  she  had  in  vain  attempted  under  Sophia's  tutorage. 
But  where  was  the  other  member  of  this  simple-hearted 
kind  family — Adolph — whom  she  had  never  seen  ?  She 
would  fain  have  asked  after  him,  but  somehow  shrank  from 
doing  it.  The  burden  of  her  gratitude  weighed  upon  her, 
for  she  knew  that  he  had  been  the  chief  instrument  of  her 
rescue,  and  she  longed  to  thank  him.  She  saw  signs  of 
him  everywhere,  for  most  of  the  ingenious  things  which 
had  attracted  her  attention  and  admiration  in  the  room, 
Sophia  had  informed  her,  were  his  work.  Indeed,  the  young 
Muscovite  thought  there  was  nobody  quite  equal  to  "  Un- 
cle Adolph,"  as  she  called  him,  for  she  soon  learned  to 
substitute  the  English  word  uncle  for  the  Russian  word  of 
the  same  meaning,  which  she  had  first  used  in  speaking  of 
him  to  Elsie.  "  Uncle  Adolph  "  was  her  hero,  and  the  lit- 
tle maiden  rang  his  praises  constantly. 


THE   RUSSIAN  EEFTTGEE.  135 

Elsie  found  the  cave  much  more  extensive  than  she  had 
anticipated,  and  indeed  more  interesting.  There  were  about 
thirteen  chambers  or  apartments  of  varying  size,  and  some 
of  the  lime  formations — the  stalagmites  and  stalactites — 
were  "  grandly  beautiful,"  so  the  visitor  expressed  herself. 
The  cathedral,  as  the  largest  room  was  named,  for  each  com- 
partment bore  some  significant  title,  was  magnificent.  It 
had  an  arched  or  dome-shaped  roof,  which  glittered  like  a 
firmament  of  diamonds  ;  crystals,  icicles,  pendants,  curious 
and  grotesque  forms — countless  shapes  of  the  sparkling 
material  reflected  the  torchlight  in  every  direction.  It 
was  to  Elsie  a  very  Aladdin's  palace  of  wonders,  and  her 
brain  was  fairly  bewildered  by  the  treasures  which  nature 
had  so  lavishly  scattered  on  every  side — above  and  below. 

Then  there  was  the  waterfall,  and  the  grotto,  and  the 
council  chamber,  and  the  "  Last  Supper,"  having  a  singu- 
lar resemblance  to  the  celebrated  picture  bearing  that 
name.  The  whispering  gallery,  too,  was  remarkable  in  its 
acoustic  conditions,  rivalling  the  noted  circle  in  the  London 
Cathedral.  Altogether  Elsie  was  exceedingly  pleased  with 
her  visit,  and  sorry  when  the  time  warned  her  to  prepare 
for  the  homeward  trip  so  as  to  reach  the  Hermitage  by 
dark. 

"  Oh,  I  do  wish  you  could  know  my  father  ;  I  am  sure 
you  would  like  him,  and  I  have  often  heard  him  express 
the  greatest  sympathy  with  the  oppressed  people  in  Kus- 
sia.  I  heard  him  say  once,  after  reading  of  the  brutal  act 
of  some  official  there,  that  if  he  lived  in  Kussia  he  would 
be  a  Socialist,"  said  the  young  lady,  clasping  the  hands  of 
her  host  warmly  at  parting. 

The  old  man's  eyes  sparkled,  and  a  faint  tinge  of  deep- 
ened color  came  to  his  face,  as  he  answered  :  "  Did  he, 
indeed  !  then  I  hope  things  will  so  point  that  we  can  meet, 
and  that  very  soon.  Farewell,  my  dear  daughter,  may  the 
angels  guard  you.  We  shall  soon  meet  again." 


136  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

Hiram  now  appeared  on  the  scene,  as  the  exile  departed, 
and  again  apologized  for  binding  her  eyes.  "Really,  I 
rather  enjoy  it,  Hiram,  and  it  prevents  my  seeing  the  dis- 
malness  of  this  passage,"  was  her  cheerful  response. 

The  homeward  journey  was  similar  to  the  outward,  only 
after  parting  from  her  Hiram  followed  at  a  moderate  dis- 
tance, keeping  her  in  sight  until  she  reached  her  own  gate. 


CHAPTER  XTTT 
UNWELCOME  VISITORS. 

ONE  morning,  shortly  after  Elsie's  visit  to  the  cave,  Mr. 
Hastings  was  summoned  to  the  parlor  to  meet  a  stranger. 
A  plain,  matter-of-fact-looking  person,  dressed  like  a  me- 
chanic, greeted  him  on  his  entrance. 

"  Mr.  Hastings,"  he  began  at  once,  before  the  gentleman 
had  time  to  speak,  "  if  you  will  close  the  door  and  assure 
me  that  we  are  away  from  other  ears,  I  will  disclose  at  once 
the  object  of  my  visit." 

The  owner  of  the  premises  was  rather  disconcerted  for  a 
moment  and  looked  scrutinizingly  at  his  visitor,  but  seeing 
no  cause  for  suspicion  in  the  calm  business-like  face  and 
manner  of  the  other,  promptly  recovered  his  ordinary  self- 
possessed  bearing.  Closing  the  door  carefully,  he  said  :  "  Be 
seated,  sir,  we  are  entirely  alone  ;  that  is,  so  far,"  he  added, 
cautiously,  "as  ordinary  conversation  is  concerned." 

The  stranger  smiled  at  the  last  words,  and  evidently  ap- 
preciated the  hint  they  were  intended  to  convey. 

"  Your  suspicions  are  natural,  but  will  disappear  when  I 
inform  you  of  the  purport  of  my  visit." 

"Please  proceed,"  said  the  host,  calmly.  "I  am  await- 
ing your  statement." 

"  I  am  an  English  detective,  and  am  in  this  country  on  the 
track  of  a  criminal,"  promptly  returned  the  visitor,  fixing 
his  eyes  keenly  on  the  gentleman.  "  I  understand  that  you 
were  robbed  a  few  months  since,  and  have  failed  as  yet  to 
obtain  any  clew  to  the  identity  of  the  burglar.  Is  that  cor- 
rect ?  " 


138  THE   RUSSIAN   EEFUGEE. 

"His;  but  I  fail  to  see  any  possible  connection  between 
your  escaped  criminal  and  the  attempt  on  my  house." 

"Be  patient,"  responded  the  other,  coolly;  "I  have  good 
reason  to  believe  that  they  are  very  closely  connected." 

"  Indeed,"  said  Mr.  Hastings,  now  thoroughly  interested  ; 
" but  upon  what  do  you  base  your  conjecture?  " 

"  Pardon  me  if,  from  prudential  motives,  I  do  not  give  you 
the  full  details  of  my  investigations  so  far,  as  they  are  not 
quite  completed,  but  I  am  gradually  weaving  a  network 
around  this  accomplished  scoundrel  from  which  he  will  find 
it  exceedingly  difficult  to  extricate  himself.  I  come  to  you 
for  a  missing  link  in  the  chain  of  evidence." 

"But  even  supposing  your  proofs  are  complete  for  con- 
viction, where  is  your  man  ?  First  catch  the  hare  before 
you  proceed  to  cook  him,  I  should  think." 

"I  can  put  my  hand  on  him  at  any  moment  I  choose  ; 
but,  as  time  is  valuable,  let  us  proceed.  Are  you  willing  to 
answer  my  questions  ?  " 

"  Certainly,  so  far  as  they  have  a  bearing  on  the  subject. 
I  am  a  magistrate  myself  and  am  always  wilh'ng  to  aid  any 
officer  of  the  law  in  the  discharge  of  his  duty,"  said  Mr. 
Hastings,  whose  doubts  were  now  entirely  dissipated. 

In  the  succeeding  half -hour  the  detective,  by  a  few  adroit 
questions,  succeeded  in  obtaining  all  the  details  of  the  rob- 
bery of  the  desk,  so  far  as  the  proprietor  knew  them. 

"  Thanks,  Mr.  Hastings,  these  points  will  help  me  con- 
siderably and  may  indeed  prove  the  missing  link  in  our 
chain  ;  but  the  fellow,  it  seems,  did  not  succeed  very  well, 
after  all  ?  " 

"No  ;  so  far  as  cash  was  concerned  his  booty  was  small, 
but  he  carried  off  some  valuable  papers." 

"  But  why  should  he  have  gone  right  to  that  desk,  un- 
less he  knew  of  your  habit  at  some  time  of  keeping  money 
there  ?  "  said  the  detective,  meditatively. 

"  That  is  the  singular  part  of  it,  for  I  did  keep  cash  there 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  139 

at  one  time,  sometimes  in  considerable  amount,  but  have 
not  done  so  lately — not  for  some  years." 

'•Your  servants  know  that  you  frequently  have  large 
sums  in  the  house,  and  probably  are  aware  of  your  place  of 
deposit." 

"  I  suppose  some  of  them  are,  but  I  have  no  reason  to 
suspect  any  of  them.  So  far  as  I  know,  they  are  honest 
and  above  all  suspicion." 

"So  far  as  you  know — yes,"  said  the  stranger,  a  little 
sarcastically  ;  "  but,  my  dear  sir,  if  you  had  been  a  detective 
as  many  years  as  I  have,  you  would  trust  no  one  until  the 
proofs  of  integrity  were  piled  '  Pelion  on  Ossa.' " 

His  hearer  looked  up  surprised,  for  the  man  spoke  with 
a  precision  and  accuracy  which  was  unusual  with  his  class, 
and  then  answered  : 

"  Heaven  forbid  that  any  experience  should  ever  be 
mine  which  should  give  universal  distrust  of  my  fellow- 
men." 

"  Humanum  est  errare"  quoted  the  detective  to  his  won- 
dering listener  ;  "  but  we  must  take  care  that  they  do  not 
err  too  much,  or  good-by  to  our  chances." 

Thanking  the  gentleman  for  his  courtesy  and  informa- 
tion, the  Englishman  closed  his  note-book,  in  which  he  had 
carefully  entered  everything  of  any  importance  communi- 
cated by  the  master  of  the  villa,  and  took  his  departure, 
saying  that  he  might  possibly  call  again  or  send  for  further 
information  before  very  long. 

"I  suppose  you  would  allow  me,  if  I  should  deem  it 
necessary,  to  examine  the  servants,  especially  the  govern- 
ess ?  "  he  asked,  while  standing  on  the  doorstep. 

"  Certainly,  I  have  no  objection  to  any  measures  neces- 
sary to  subserve  the  interests  of  justice,"  was  the  answer, 
and  the  officer  sprang  into  the  waiting  cab,  and  was  driven 
rapidly  away. 

A  week  later,  Mr.  Hastings  was  again  asked  to  meet  a 


140  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

stranger  in  the  parlor,  and  responded  to  the  summons 
promptly.  Elsie,  who  had  been  in  the  room  when  the 
visitor  entered,  and  had  retreated  at  once,  met  her  father 
in  the  hall,  about  to  enter,  and  detained  him  for  an  in- 
stant. 

"  Father,  he  is  a  most  peculiar-looking  fellow.  He  quite 
startled  me  at  first,  his  eyes  looked  so  like — "  she  said,  in 
a  whisper.  "If  I  did  not  know  it  was  impossible,  I  should 
be  certain  it  was  he." 

"  Don't  indulge  in  baseless  fancies,  my  dear.  It  is  the 
English  detective,  I  have  no  doubt,  that  visited  me  last 
week.  He  is  a  peculiar  man,  and  has  a  history,  I  should 
say,  that  might  be  interesting,  at  any  rate,  he  is  much 
better  educated  than  most  of  his  class.  However,  I  must 
not  keep  this  dreadful  fellow  waiting,  good-by." 

"But,  pa,  take  care  of  yourself.  Mrs.  Wagrani  said  she 
saw  the  other  man  last  week,  and  didn't  like  his  appearance 
at  all." 

"I  am  not  a  bit  surprised  at  Mrs.  "Wagram  talking  so, 
but  when  did  my  fearless  daughter  begin  to  grow  timid. 
A  young  lady  who  could  live  among  total  strangers  for 
three  weeks  and  then  pay  clandestine  visits,  alone  and  un- 
protected since,  keeping  all  her  friends  in  the  dark,  surely 
cannot  be  afraid  of  anything." 

Elsie  knew  by  the  expression  of  her  father's  face  that  he 
was  speaking  mainly  in  jest,  and  yet,  in  spite  of  herself,  her 
lip  quivered  and  her  eyes  filled  with  tears. 

"  Oh,  father,  you  know  how  gladly  I  would  tell  you  all, 
if  I  possibly  could,  but " 

"  There  now,  Elsie,  you  know  I  would  not  hurt  your 
feelings  for  worlds  ;  we  two  know  each  other  too  well  for 
that.  You  will  explain  everything  to  my  satisfaction  one 
of  these  days,  I  am  confident.  I  only  spoke  so,  to  scare 
away  your  timid  fit  which  is  unlike  you." 

Kissing  his  forehead,  she  pushed  him  toward  the  parlor 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  141 

door,  saying,  "  Now  go  and  see  your  detective  if  you  must ; 
good-by." 

On  entering  the  room  Mr.  Hastings  was  astonished  to 
find  an  entire  stranger  instead  of  his  interviewer  of  last 
week.  So  impressed  had  he  been  with  the  idea  that  he  was 
to  meet  the  English  detective,  that  he  could  not  help  show- 
ing his  surprise  in  his  manner.  This  the  new-comer  no- 
ticed at  once,  for  his  quick  restless  eyes  seemed  to  let  noth- 
ing escape  ;  and  yet  Mr.  Hastings  thought  that  he  avoided 
his  full  gaze.  Whether  his  daughter's  words  had  exerted 
any  influence  or  not,  he  could  not  help  receiving  the  same 
impression  which  she  did. 

"You  did  not  expect  to  see  me,  Mr.  Hastings,  I  perceive  ; 
that  is,  you  expected  another  man,  did  you  not  ?  " 

"I  certainly  did,  but  perhaps  you  have  come  in  his 
place  ?  " 

"  I  am,  that,  but  when  did  he  say  he  was  agoing  to  come 
again  ?  " 

"Well,  he  did  not  say  he  was  coming  back  at  all,  posi- 
tively, but  might  do  so,  or  possibly  would  send." 

"That's  jolly  right,"  said  the  listener,  with  a  gratified 
manner,  still  rolling  the  eyes  around  furtively  "an'  he's 
sent  me." 

"  And  what  is  your  name,  please  ?  " 

"  Name  !  Oh,  Lukens  ;  yes,  Lukens,  at  your  service." 

"  Your  name  is  not  Lukens,  or  I  am  mistaken,"  thought 
the  gentleman;  "but  I  suppose  detectives  have  as  many 
aliases  as  the  scoundrels  they  try  to  bring  to  justice." 
"  Well,  Mr.  Lukens,  what  do  you  wish  this  morning  ?  " 

"  Ah,  yes,  business  before  pleasure,  that's  correct" 

The  fellow's  assurance  was  so  irritating,  that  his  hearer 
felt  strongly  inclined  to  order  him  out,  but  he  controlled 
his  feelings  and  suffered  him  to  proceed. 

"  Perhaps,  then,  you  will  be  good  enough,  Mr.  Hastings, 
to  go  over,  ah,  well,  recapitulate  is  the  word,"  and  he 


142  THE  RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

smiled  in  a  satisfied  way  as  if  pleased  with  himself  at  having 
found  such  a  fine  word.  "  Kecapitulate,"  he  repeated,  "I 
think,  covers  the  ground,  so  that  I  may  know  precisely — yea 
precisely  's  the  word,  precisely,  what  my — pal — no — not 
that " 

" Confrere"  suggested  the  hearer,  who  was  now  really 
amused. 

"  Confrere  ?  "  said  the  other,  slowly,  as  if  handling  a  new 
species  of  verbal  monstrosity  for  the  first  time,  and  a  little 
afraid  it  might  bite  him,  or  might  express  something  oppo- 
site to  his  wishes. 

"  Colleague,  then,"  again  interpolated  Mr.  Hastings. 

The  visitor  seized  it  with  the  avidity  with  which  a  trout 
snatches  a  fly,  when  temptingly  offered. 

"  Colleague,  that's  the  word.  What  fine  things  words  are, 
Mr.  Hastings,  when  you  get  'em  right,  an'  I'm  blowed  if 
you  haven't  a  purty  good  stock  on  'em,  and  all  hummers 
too,  I'm  blessed  if  they  ain't." 

"  So  you  wish  me  to  inform  you  of  what  your  colleague 
did  while  here  ;  is  that  it?  " 

"  Blessed  if  it  ain't — right  to  a  trivet." 

This  appeared  reasonable  and,  although  somewhat  sus- 
picious, the  gentleman,  who  was  becoming  rather  impatient, 
gave  a  detailed  account  of  what  had  transpired  at  the  in- 
terview with  the  previous  detective.  The  listener  lost  not 
a  word  but  carefully  noted  everything  in  his  case  book,  a 
new  one,  with  the  words,  Case  Book  No.  5,  showily  printed 
in  gold  letters  on  the  outside,  and  which  he  took  good 
care  should  be  seen. 

"  So,  ah,  Madam  Wagram — Wagram,  I  think  you  put  it  ?  " 
Mr.  Hastings  nodded  ;  "  this  lady  was  not  examined  ?  " 

"  No,  and  perhaps  you  would  wish  to  interview  her,"  said 
the  gentleman,  who  was  anxious  to  escape. 

"Just  the  thing,  and  we  need  not  detain  you,  Mr. — au — 
Hastings.  Let  me  see  this  Mrs.  Wagram,  please." 


THE   RUSSIAN    REFUGEE.  143 

So  the  housekeeper  was  summoned,  and  Mr.  Hastings 
left  them,  saying  :  "  Mrs.  Wagram,  this  gentleman  is  an  Eng- 
lish detective  sent  to  obtain  information  concerning  the 
robbery  of  my  desk.  Will  you  please  give  him  an  account 
of  it  as  far  as  you  know  ?  " 

When  alone  with  the  Frenchwoman  the  detective's  man- 
ner changed  completely,  and  he  became  obsequious  and 
even  fawning.  "I  am  pleased  beyond  measure  to  meet  a 
lady  of  your  intelligence — and  a  French  lady,  too — noted  all 
the  world  over  for  their  wit  and  observation.  I  know  you 
can  tell  me  everything,  for  I  have  heard  of  you  before,  and 
how  very  lucky  the  family  here  is  to  have  you  to  take  charge 
of  things." 

The  result  was,  the  delighted  lady's  tongue  was  loosened 
and  she  literally  told  him  everything ;  told  him  where  the 
family  plate  and  valuables  were  stored,  where  money  was 
kept  when  in  the  house,  and  also  the  fact  that  the  follow- 
ing week  the  proprietor  and  his  daughter  were  to  be  absent 
on  a  visit  for  a  few  days  ;  and  she  confided  that  she  meant 
to  take  advantage  of  the  circumstance  to  go  and  see  her 
married  sister  who  lived  about  twenty  miles  off. 

"  Of  course  I  shall  only  be  away  for  the  day  and  shall  re- 
turn in  the  evening,  Monsieur,  for  I  must  take  great  care  of 
the  house  when  Meester  Hastings  and  Mademoiselle  are 
away." 

"  Now,  Mrs.  Wagram  it  is  a  shame,  a  burning  shame  to 
keep  you  confined  so.  You  lose  your  bright  color  and  that 
complexion  for  which  your  countrywomen  are  so  famous," 
said  the  detective,  gallantly.  "  Why  not  stay  two  days  at  least 
with  your  sister.  The  house  is  safe  enough  I'm  sure. 
We're  watching  the  house,  and  I  assure  you,  my  dear 
Madame,  it  is  absolutely  safe.  Go  and  stay  two  days.  It 
would  be  cruel  to  go  twenty  miles  and  back  on  one  day. 
Why  you  couldn't  get  half  your  visit  out." 

"  Oh,  how  I  should  like  it !    Dear  Annetta,  she  say  to  me 


144  THE  RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

last  time,  '  Ma  sceur,  you  must  come  one  week.'  Oh,  I  am 
only  afraid  Meester  Hastings  will  not  let  me  go  only  for 
one  day." 

"  Don't  tell  him  anything  about  it.  If  the  house  is  safe 
that's  all  he  cares  for.  Jest  you  go." 

"And  Monsieur  you  be  really  watching  la  maison — 
truly — la  verite  ?  " 

"Yes,  my  pal — I  mean  my  colleague  and  me,  we  never 
takes  our  eyes  off  it  night  or  day.  Looking  for  this  thief, 
you  see.  Why,  the  house's  as  safe  as  if  it  was  in  the 
Queen's  Palace." 

Having  obtained  all  the  information  desired  and  also  a 
half  promise  from  madame  that  she  would  take  the  two 
days'  holiday  with  her  sister,  the  detective  departed. 

Mr.  Hastings  and  Elsie  the  following  Monday  left  for 
the  city  to  pay  the  long  postponed  visit  to  Mrs.  St.  Johns 
and  family,  Elsie  to  remain  for  two  or  three  weeks  and 
Mr.  Hastings  to  return  at  the  end  of  the  week. 

Within  an  hour  of  their  departure  Mrs.  Wagram  was  en 
route  for  her  sister's  abode,  having  made  up  her  mind  to 
spend  two  days  at  least  before  returning.  That  night  the 
Hermitage  was  entered  by  burglars  and  the  family  plate, 
some  valuable  jewelry,  and  other  things  taken,  besides  some 
$300  in  money.  The  total  loss  was  about  $3,000.  The 
robbery  was  skilfully  accomplished  and  the  booty  carried 
off,  and  not  a  trace  which  could  avail  as  a  clue  to  the  per- 
petrators of  the  act  left  behind.  A  diamond  cross  worth 
$1,500,  an  heir-loom  of  generations,  was  among  the  miss- 
ing valuables.  This,  with  several  rings,  bracelets,  neck- 
laces, and  earrings,  some  of  which  were  very  precious,  both 
from  intrinsic  and  associative  value,  were  deposited  in  the 
strong  closet  in  Mr.  Hastings'  dressing-room.  The  jewel- 
box  containing  them  was  taken  away  by  the  thieves,  in 
all  probability,  without  being  opened. 

The  robbery  was   evidently  the  work  of  professionals 


THE   RUSSIAN   EEFUGEE.  145 

who  had  knowledge  of  the  interior  arrangements  of  the 
building.  No  one  sleeping  in  the  house  was  disturbed,  and 
not  until  late  in  the  next  morning  was  it  suspected  that  the 
mansion  had  been  invaded  by  midnight  prowlers  who  "  had 
at  their  leisure  worked  their  pleasure,"  as  James  Martin,  the 
coachman,  pithily  put  it,  when  informed  by  his  sweetheart, 
the  upper  housemaid,  of  what  had  taken  place. 

"  Indeed,  James,  and  it's  just  dreadful,  it  is,  and  Mrs. 
Wagram  away  too  ;  and,  poor  soul,  she'll  cry  her  eyes  out 
when  she  hears  it,  she  jest  will." 

"  Jane,  in  my  opinion  Mrs.  Wagram  never  oughter  have 
gone  away  from  home  and  the  master  being  away." 

"  But,  law  bless  you,  James,  she  couldn't  have  stopped 
them  thieves,  s'posing  she'd  been  here,  now,  could  she? 
Women  can't  fight,  and  she  sleeps  as  sound  as  any  on  us." 

This  was  unanswerable,  but  yet  James,  who  was  not  too 
fond  of  the  fussy  Frenchwoman,  held  privately  to  his  first 
opinion,  although  he  would  not  dispute  the  matter  with 
Jane,  whom  he  well  knew  was  much  attached  to  the  house- 
keeper. So,  wise  man  that  he  was,  he  improved  the  shin- 
ing hour  of  leisure  in  furthering  his  courting  interests  and 
having  a  delightful  talk  about  pleasant  matters  with  the 
girl  of  his  heart. 

When  Mrs.  Wagram  did  return  it  was  pitiable  to  behold 
her  grief.  She  cried  and  moaned  like  some  poor  denizen 
of  the  woods  when  wounded  by  the  cruel  sportsman.  She 
was  implicitly  trusted  by  the  family  and  she  returned  their 
trust  by  all  the  affection  and  devotion  that  her  Gallic  nature 
was  susceptible  of. 

"  Oh,  Jane,  I  shall  die ;  oh,  ma  tete,  ma  tete  I  "  clasping 
her  head  with  both  hands.  "Je  suis  tres  mal."  Then,  a 
new  idea  seizing  her,  she  started  up.  "  Oh,  that  villain — 
that  one  traitor.  Je  crois.  Oh  le  grand  bete — le  diable  ! 
I  will  kill  him,  I  will." 

"  Why,  Mrs.  Wagram,  what  is  it — who  do  you  think  of — 
10 


146  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

where  is  the  villain  ?  "  said  Jane,  bewildered,  and  wishing 
that  James  was  there  to  explain  matters  and  tell  her  what 
she  had  better  do,  for  she  really  was  afraid  the  impetuous 
Frenchwoman  was  going  crazy. 

"  Le  villain— le  grand  villain  ;  why  the  detective  to  be 
sure.  He  no  detective— he  one  grand  robber.  Je  suis  sure, 
je  suis." 

Jane,  who  knew  nothing  about  the  communications  made 
by  Madame  in  a  moment  of  vanity  and  confidence,  in  the 
full  belief  that  it  was  all  right,  or  at  least  safe  enough, 
was  more  puzzled  than  ever,  and  looked  anxiously  toward 
the  door  in  order  to  be  sure  of  an  exit  in  case  a  violent  fit 
on  the  part  of  the  excited  housekeeper  should  render  re- 
treat advisable.  But  Mrs.  Wagram  after  a  while  quieted 
down,  and  although  most  of  the  time  dissolved  in  tears, 
yet  resumed  her  ordinary  duties  with  increased  alacrity, 
for  she  was  a  notable  housekeeper,  and  a  capital  manager, 
in  spite  of  her  vanity  and  eccentricity. 

Mr.  Hastings  returned  about  Thursday,  having  been 
hastened  by  a  letter  from  Mrs.  Wagram,  telling  him,  amid 
numerous  expressions,  mostly  in  French,  of  sorrow  and  re- 
gret, of  what  had  occurred. 

"It  is  too  bad,"  he  said  to  his  daughter,  "  but  this  poor 
woman  seems  to  blame  herself,  and  I  cannot  see  how  she 
is  to  blame.  That  cross  I  intended  for  your  wedding  pres- 
ent when  that  day  arrived,  as  I  suppose  it  will.  It  was 
your  grandmother's,  and  I  meant  to  have  had  it  reset." 

"  Don't  let  that  vex  you,  father  ;  my  wedding  is  a  thing  of 
the  very  uncertain  and  remote  future,  if  ever  at  all,  and  I 
really  don't  like  crosses  anyway,  even  if  they  are  diamond. 
It  isn't  as  bad  as  if  there  had  been  a  fire  and  we  had  lost 
all." 

It  was  with  some  difficulty  that  Elsie  was  persuaded  to 
remain  longer  at  the  St.  Johns'.  She  would  much  have 
preferred  to  return  with  her  father  for  several  reasons,  but 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  147 

especially  on  Mrs.  "Wagram's  account,  to  whom  she  was  sin- 
cerely attached.  But  Mrs.  St.  Johns  wouldn\  hear  of  it, 
and  she  was  forced  to  remain  for  a  few  days  longer. 

The  young  people  at  the  city  mansion  were  very  fond 
of  society,  and  Elsie  found  herself  in  a  round  of  balls  and 
festive  gatherings  that  taxed  her  nervous  system,  vigorous 
as  she  was,  and  made  sad  inroads  upon  her  time.  She  lit- 
erally found  time  for  nothing  like  study  or  thought.  But 
study  and  thought  were  at  a  discount  in  the  Si  Johns 
mansion,  where,  during  the  season,  life  passed  in  a  whirl 
of  excitement  and  so-called  pleasure.  Not  but  what  the 
country  maiden  enjoyed  the  change  for  a  time  ;  but  her 
healthful  habits  were  too  strongly  established  to  submit  to 
such  a  complete  subversion  of  former  customs.  It  was  a 
positive  relief  to  her  to  steal  away  from  the  parlor,  or  easy 
room — where  Mrs.  St.  Johns  received  her  milliners  and 
dressmakers,  and  indeed  where  she  and  her  daughters  spent 
a  good  part  of  their  leisure — and  have  a  good  talk  with  Mr. 
St.  Johns  in  the  library,  about  some  favorite  author  or 
some  place  which  both  had  visited  or  known.  The  talk 
up-stairs  about  the  gay  world  and  its  costumes,  the  petty 
scandal  which  is  retailed  among  fashionable  people,  and 
empty  small  talk,  was  sometimes  so  unendurable  that  she 
felt  as  if  she  must  go  somewhere  to  breathe. 

If  people  talk  at  all,  it  must  of  necessity  be  of  what  they 
know,  and  the  light  surface  life  of  gay  city  dwellers  affords 
much  material  for  conversation  in  the  form  of  amusing  so- 
ciety episodes  and  personal  peculiarities  which  obtrude 
themselves  daily  within  the  charmed  circle.  Then,  again, 
the  drawing-rooms  of  fashionable  life  are  by  no  means  bar- 
ren of  intellect  or  destitute  of  thinkers,  for  these  are  some 
of  the  many  fields  in  which  thinkers  glean,  and  some  of 
the  brightest  utterances,  most  brilliant  flashes  of  genius 
and  keen  mental  scintillations — veritable  coruscations  of 
wit  and  fancy — are  thrown  off  during  these  moments  of 


148  THE  RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

relaxation  and  leisure,  when  the  brain  is  stimulated  by  the 
dazzling  su/roundings.  Yes,  the  subtlest  play  of  the  im- 
agination is  often  witnessed  on  such  occasions,  but  it  is 
usually  the  offering  of  some  casual  visitor  at  the  shrine, 
not  that  of  the  constant  devotee. 

Like  the  rare  floral  ornaments  often  seen  at  such  places, 
the  rich  products  of  very  different  conditions  than  those 
presented  by  the  glare  and  gas  and  impure  unhealthy  at- 
mosphere— so  the  intellectual  jewels  and  flowers  of  thought 
occasionally  delighting  one  at  fashionable  gatherings,  are 
usually  from  afar,  the  products  of  solitude,  the  study, 
the  solitary  ramble  amid  nature's  own  oracles — the  healthy 
offspring  of  careful  observers  and  profound  reflectors. 
These  occasional  pilgrims  to  the  temples  of  pleasure,  these 
whilom  perusers  of  the  motley  page,  these  laughing  phi- 
losophers, furnish  condiments  which  season  what  would 
otherwise  be  a  very  insipid  dish,  even  to  those  who  by 
daily  partaking  have  inured  their  palates  to  its  flavor. 

"  You  must  really  persuade  your  father  to  sell  the  '  Her- 
mitage,' my  dear,  and  come  and  live  in  the  city.  It  is  not 
safe  for  you  there.  Just  think  of  two  robberies  in  one  sea- 
son, and  then  your  detention  or  imprisonment.  There  now, 
don't  be  excited,  I  must  call  it  by  its  right  name,  for  those 
people  couldn't  be  really  friends  when  they  would  not  al- 
low you  to  inform  your  friends  of  your  whereabouts. 
Friends  indeed!  enemies  I  should  call  them,  to  keep  you 
from  your  own  father  and  other  friends  who  were  almost 
frantic  to  find  you." 

"  But,  my  dear  Mrs.  St.  Johns,  I  could  have  left  the  very 
next  day  had  I  so  chosen  ;  besides,  you  know,  a  bird  unwil- 
lingly kept  in  a  cage  doesn't  often  return  after  being  re- 
leased, and  I  have  been  to  see  these  enemies,  as  you  term 
them,  and  had  a  most  enjoyable  visit." 

"No,  Elsie,  don't  tell  me  that  you  went  to  see  those 
people  again.  It  cannot  be  possible,"  said  the  horrified  lady, 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  149 

rising  in  her  astonishment  from  the  fauteuil  in  which  she 
had  been  reclining  ;  the  young  ladies  in  various  easy  atti. 
tudes  and  neglige  costumes,  sitting  near,  engaged  in  fancy 
work. 

"  Oh,  mamma,  how  delightful !  How  I  should  like  to  have 
gone  with  you,  Elsie.  Do  tell  us  all  about  it ! "  said  Alfa- 
rina,  clasping  her  hands  enthusiastically.  Angelina,  whose 
curiosity  was  as  strong  as  her  sister's,  thought  it  necessary 
to  look  reproachfully  at  her. 

"  Alf,  how  can  you  talk  that  way  ;  besides,  Elsie  is  still 
bound  by  her  promise,  no  doubt,"  the  latter  words  uttered 
with  the  delicate  sarcasm  for  which  she  was  noted. 

"But,  my  darling,  did  your  father  know  all  about  it? 
Surely  you  didn't  venture  alone  ?  " 

"I  would  have  gone  alone,"  said  Elsie,  simply;  "but  I 
didn't  know  the  way,  and  so  Hiram — you  remember  Hiram 
— conducted  me." 

"Hiram,  that  great  awkward  ogre !  I  cannot  believe  that 
you  went  alone  to  a  strange  place  with  him.  I  wouldn't 
trust  him  as  far  as  I  could  see  him." 

Elsie  looked  hurt  "  Mrs.  Si  Johns,  I  would  go  with 
him  to  China,  and  would  trust  him  with  my  life  anywhere. 
He  is  fidelity  itself." 

"Fidelity  long  drawn  out,"  interrupted  Alf.  "I  beg 
your  pardon,  Elsie ;  go  on." 

"Long  fidelity  at  any  rate,"  resumed  Elsie,  smiling  at 
the  sally,  "for  I  have  known  him  all  my  life." 

"  Yes,  my  dear,  but  it  is  so  different  knowing  such  people 
as  a  child  and  knowing  them  as  a  young  lady.  I  daresay 
he  is  very  honest,  and  all  that,  but  he  is  certainly  no  fit  com- 
panion for  you.  You  must  let  me  speak  to  you  plainly,  for 
you  have  no  mother,  and  I  regard  you  as  a  daughter." 

"  Thank  you  very  much,  Mrs.  St.  Johns,  but  really  you 
cannot  understand  Hiram  as  I  do,  and  father  thinks  almost 
as  much  of  him." 


150  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

It  was  the  renewal  of  an  old  battle,  for  Hiram  was  no 
favorite  with  the  St.  Johns  family.  To  them  he  was  a  gaunt, 
uncouth,  crafty  sort  of  wild  man  of  the  woods,  and  they 
could  not  possibly  understand  him,  as  they  only  looked  on 
his  exterior,  and  that  was  unattractive  enough.  City  people 
almost  necessarily  have  a  different  standard  of  comparison 
for  humanity  from  country  folks.  For  in  the  country,  em- 
ployers come  into  more  direct  and  personal  contact  with 
their  employes,  and  with  the  working  classes  generally, 
than  is  possible  in  the  city,  and  the  man  or  woman  is  judged 
and  estimated  less  for  their  appearance  than  for  their  quali- 
fications. Elsie's  training  had  given  her  this  deeper  knowl- 
edge, this  insight,  and  she  knew  that  there  was  more  genu- 
ine humanity  and  true  manhood  under  the  trapper's  rough 
exterior  than  under  many  a  fine  city  gentleman's  expensive 
and  elegant  attire.  Indeed,  she  vastly  preferred  the  common 
sense  utterances  of  many  of  these  rustics,  with  whom  she 
was  often  brought  into  conversational  contact,  to  the  vapid, 
silly  simperings  of  the  ordinary  society  beaux.  She  rather 
enjoyed  setting  society  at  defiance,  and  while  her  instincts 
always  saved  her  from  doing  anything  really  unladylike,  yet 
she  frequently  broke  the  conventional  rules  and  usages,  es- 
pecially where  they  trenched  too  closely  on  the  liberty  of 
her  sex. 

It  was  keen  enjoyment  to  her  to  witness  the  aghast  man- 
ner in  which  poor  Mrs.  St.  Johns,  who  was  trammelled  hand 
and  foot  by  society — a  slave  of  etiquette — listened  to  her 
description  of  the  visit  to  the  cave.  The  meeting  the  hun- 
ter on  the  lonely  moor,  and  following  his  lead  so  far,  and 
then  the  climax — horror  of  horrors  ! — binding  the  eyes  with 
the  silk,  and  permitting  herself  to  be  led  blindfolded  through 
the  darkness  into  the  dwelling.  To  the  sisters  it  was  like 
a  fairy  tale.  Alf  loudly  expressed  her  delight,  while  Miss 
St.  Johns  preserved  a  discreet  silence  and  demure  air. 

"  It  is  really  dreadful,  my  child  !     Why,  if  this  was  known 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  151 

your  reputation  would  suffer  terribly  ;  your  father  must  be 
mad  to  permit  such  things.  I  must  write  to  him  at  once." 

"He  knows  all  about  it,  for  I  told  him,  and  some  day  I 
am  going  to  take  him  with  me — at  least  the  Patriarch  said 
I  might  after  a  while." 

"  The  who  ?  "  ejaculated  both  girls,  at  once.  "  "Who  did 
you  say — the  patriarch — who's  the  patriarch  ?  " 

Elsie  blushed,  conscious  of  having  made  a  slip  of  the 
tongue,  but  immediately  answered,  "Oh,  I  mean  the  old 
gentleman  who  owns  the  establishment." 

But  they  were  in  great  glee  at  having,  as  they  thought, 
captured  part  of  the  secret  which  she  had  guarded  so  sedu- 
lously during  all  these  months ;  and  so  the  patriarch  was 
frequently  on  their  lips,  Roland  especially  asking  her  on 
all  occasions  when  she  had  heard  from  the  patriarch,  etc. 

The  city  visit  was  cut  short,  however,  for  at  the  beginning 
of  the  third  week,  Elsie  received  a  note  from  her  father, 
saying  that  Dr.  Seaman  and  his  English  friends  were  in 
New  York,  and  expected  to  be  at  the  Hermitage  by  the  end 
of  the  week.  Mr.  Thompson,  it  seemed,  was  accompanied 
by  both  his  daughters,  Ellen  having,  at  Seaman's  urgent  so- 
licitation, agreed  to  join  the  party  at  almost  the  last  moment. 
Mrs.  Thompson  would  not  venture  on  the  voyage,  and  so 
was  to  take  advantage  of  the  vacation  to  visit  an  only  sister 
living  in  Newcastle,  who  had  long  been  urging  her  to  visit 
Northumberland  and  the  lake  district.  It  seemed  the  party 
had  stood  the  voyage  well,  and  were  in  the  best  of  spirits. 

So  Elsie  decided  to  go  home  at  once,  to  play  hostess,  in 
spite  of  the  remonstrances  of  the  St.  Johns  family,  who 
wished  the  Thompson  and  Seaman  party  had  been  detained 
by  adverse  winds,  so  that  they  could  not  so  soon  rob  them 
of  their  guest.  At  least  this  was  Roland's  gallant  senti- 
ment, and  there  was  no  dissentient  voice.  However,  Elsie 
felt  she  must  go,  and  go  she  did,  arriving  home  the  day 
before  the  guests  were  expected. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

TRANS-ATLANTIC  VISITORS. 

"  WELL,  Cousin  Elsie,  it  seemed  as  if  I  never  was  going  to 
see  you  again,"  said  Dr.  Seaman,  saluting  the  young  hostess 
on  both  cheeks  in  a  truly  cousinly  manner.  "  Mr.  Thomp- 
son, let  me  make  you  acquainted  with  the  best  girl  in  the 
world — that  is,"  glancing  quickly  toward  the  young  Eng- 
lishwomen, "  in  the  western  world." 

"  Too  late,  Dr.  Seaman  ;  but  really,  from  the  glowing  ac- 
counts he  has  given  us  of  you,  Miss  Hastings,  he  should  be 
ashamed  to  try  and  qualify  his  remark,"  said  Louisa,  as 
she  and  her  sister  were  cordially  greeted  by  Elsie. 

The  travellers  were  rather  fatigued  by  their  journey  from 
the  metropolis,  and  readily  agreed  to  the  suggestion  of  the 
young  hostess  to  retire  for  a  couple  of  hours  to  their 
rooms,  and  come  down  to  a  five  o'clock  dinner,  it  now 
being  about  three. 

"Do  not  disturb  yourselves  until  you  hear  the  bell, 
which  will  ring  half  an  hour  before  the  dinner  is  served, 
giving  you  ample  time  to  make  your  toilet,"  said  Elsie,  as 
she  left  the  sisters  in  their  apartment. 

Five  o'clock,  or  rather  half- past  five — for  Elsie  purposely 
delayed  the  dinner  to  give  the  guests  another  half-hour's 
rest— found  the  whole  pjy.'ty  at  the  table  ;  and  a  very  merry 
party  they  were,  indeed.  Anecdotes  to  relate  of  the  voyage, 
impressions  of  the  new  world,  and  the  differences  in  cus- 
toms and  manner,  giving  abundant  material  for  light,  easy 
conversation,  kept  all  tongues  busy.  The  genial  Englishman 
and  Mr.  Hastings  having  met  once  before  in  London,  nat- 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  153 

urally  enjoyed  the  occasion,  while  the  young  ladies  and 
Seaman  kept  up  an  unceasing  fusilade  across  the  table. 

"  Why  didn't  you  answer  my  last  letter,  Elsie  ?  I  have  a 
bone  to  pick  with  you  about  that ;  and  such  a  beautiful  letter 
as  it  was,  too." 

"  Such  a  letter,  so  full  of  conceit  and  assurance.  I  really 
didn't  feel  myself  worthy  to  write  to  such  a  dignified  indi- 
vidual." 

"  You  wouldn't  have  thought  him  conceited  if  you'd  seen 
him  last  Wednesday,  during  the  storm,  Miss  Hastings  ;  pale 
as  a  ghost,  and  so  woe-begone,"  remarked  Louisa,  while 
her  sister  looked  at  him  commiseratingly. 

"Yes,  I'm  sure,  poor  fellow,  you  would  have  forgiven 
him  all  his  sins  had  you  seen  him,  Miss  Hastings." 

"Keally,  your  sympathy  repays  me  for  all  I  endured, 
Miss  Ellen  ;  I  confess  I  must  have  been  a  sorry-looking 
mortal,  for  I  felt  bad  enough.  However,  Neptune  has  no 
more  claims  on  me  ;  I  paid  him  in  full  of  all  demands." 

"  But  were  you  not  sick,  Miss  Thompson,  or  your  sister  ; 
surely  you  did  not  escape  ?  " 

"  Let  me  tell  the  story,  Elsie,"  returned  Seaman,  quickly  ; 
"  Miss  Ellen,  I  verily  believe,  was  not  sick  at  all ;  one  of 
the  lucky  few,  but  Miss  Louisa,  well — but  I'd  better  not 
tell." 

"  You  didn't  see  me  sick  once,  sir,  and  I  was  on  deck 
every  day.  Don't  mind  your  cousin,  Miss  Hastings,  he's 
only  trying  to  spoil  my  record  as  a  worthy  seaman." 

"If  you  were  not  sick,  how  was  it  that  you  only  appeared 
at  dinner  during  the  last  three  days  ?  " 

"  Because  I  didn't  like  the  cooking,  and  the  odor  of  the 
saloon  was  nauseating,  but  you  only  make  the  charge  from 
hearsay,  not  being  present  yourself  to  note  my  absence." 

"  Miss  Ellen,  you  must  decide  between  us ;  I  appeal  unto 

sar." 
Knowing  very  well  that  Csesar  herself  was  not  at  din- 


154  THE  KUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

ner  more  than  half  the  time,  preferring  to  remain  on  deck  ; 
besides,  he  fondly  imagines,  Miss  Hastings,  that  Ellen  would 
be  sure  to  notice  him  whether  she  was  aware  of  my  pres- 
ence or  not." 

"  Indeed,  I  think  you  were  a  pretty  sick  pair,  and  I  can't 
give  either  of  you  much  credit  for  sea-going  qualities,"  said 
Ellen,  quietly. 

"  That's  right,  Ellen.  You  and  I  were  the  only  sailors  of 
the  party,"  remarked  Mr.  Thompson,  "  but  we  really  had 
some  most  abominable  weather,  although  we  made  uncom- 
monly good  time." 

Mr.  Thompson  after  dinner  walked  about  the  Hermitage 
grounds  with  his  host,  and  pronounced  it  a  most  delightful 
place.  "  But  what  a  singular  style  of  house  ;  it  seems  to 
belong  to  no  special  order  of  architecture.  When  was  it 
built  ?  " 

"About  seventy  years  ago,  or  rather  more  than  that,  for 
it  is  almost  fifty  years  since  the  builder  sold  it,  after 
occupying  it  himself  for  many  years.  I  judge  it  must  be 
fully  eighty  years  old." 

"  The  man  who  built  that  mansion,  Mr.  Hastings,  was  no 
common  man,  or  at  least  I  should  say,  it  was  erected  with 
no  common  object  in  view.  Why,  it  bears  some  resem- 
blance to  an  old-fashioned  dagger  in  shape." 

"  Oh,  no,  surely  not ;  I  always  supposed  it  was  meant  to 
resemble  a  cross." 

"  Take  my  word  for  it,  the  man  who  erected  your  house 
had  more  faith  in  daggers  than  crosses.  Don't  you  see  the 
point,  I  don't  mean  of  my  remark,  but  of  the  dagger?" 

On  close  inspection  the  proprietor  acknowledged  the 
point,  for  the  long  building  behind,  which  formed  the 
blade  of  the  dagger,  according  to  Mr.  Thompson,  and  the 
stem  of  the  cross,  according  to  the  hitherto  accepted  view, 
was  really  brought  to  a  curving  point,  although  it  had  not 
been  specially  noticed  before  by  anyone,  so  far  as  the 


THE   EUSSIAN   EEFUGEE.  155 

present  proprietor  knew,  and  during  the  summer  was  al- 
most hidden  from  view  by  dense  shrubbery.  The  English- 
man was  much  elated  by  his  discovery  and  manifested  a 
little  pardonable  vanity  in  dwelling  on  it. 

"I  am  naturally  antiquarian  in  my  tastes,  Mr.  Hastings, 
and  my  father  before  me,  too,  had  the  same  fancy  for  the 
antique,  and  as  a  boy  I  used  to  go  poking  about  old  abbeys 
and  ruins  in  studying  them,  and  tracing  up  the  history 
of  such  places,  by  the  windows  as  they  successively 
changed  from  a  mere  slit  or  arrow  shape,  through  succeed- 
ing stages  of  architectural  development,  to  the  arch  and 
other  graceful  forms  of  later  clays." 

"  Elsie,  Mr.  Thompson  has  made  quite  a  discovery  on 
our  old  place  here." 

"  Indeed !  why,  I  supposed  everything  was  known  that 
could  be  known  about  it." 

"Let  me  ask  you,  Miss  Elsie,  what  shape  or  form  you 
think  this  building  is  ?  " 

"  Our  house  !  why,  a  cross  ;  I  think  it  can  be  seen  quite 
clearly  if  you  stand  on  the  knoll  at  the  end  of  the  gar- 
den." 

"  No,  Miss,  you're  wrong,  quite  wrong ;  it's  a  dagger,  and 
a  foreign  dagger,  too." 

"  A  dagger !  Why,  the  end  of  the  stem  is  too  round  or 
blunt  for  a  dagger,  Mr.  Thompson  ;  surely  you  must  be 
mistaken  !  " 

"  Ah,  my  dear,  that  is  what  has  served  to  deceive  you  all. 
The  dagger  is  in  a  sheath,  which  is  generally  blunt  or  curved 
at  the  extremity." 

"Let  us  go  and  see  this  discovery  of  father's,"  said 
Louisa,  springing  up,  and  all  passed  through  the  library 
window  into  the  garden,  led  by  Elsie,  who  was  as  eager  as 
anybody  to  verify  the  statement  if  possible.  On  ascending 
the  mound  they  obtained  an  excellent  side  view  of  the 
house  and  all  agreed  at  once  that  the  intention  of  the  arch- 


156  THE   EUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

itect  was  one  of  the  two  forms  named,  but  they  were  about 
equally  divided  as  to  which  •  one.  The  three  ladies  held 
for  the  cross,  although  Elsie  conceded  that  her  conviction 
was  not  so  strong  as  before,  since  the  possibility  of  the 
dagger  form  had  been  suggested,  while  the  host  now  fully 
agreed  with  his  guest,  and  marvelled  that  he  had  not  ob- 
served it  earlier. 

"  I  suppose  I  heard  someone  say  it  was  a  cross  and  took 
it  for  granted  that  he  knew,"  remarked  the  proprietor.  "I 
sometimes  think  that  more  than  half  that  we  have  been  ac- 
customed to  accept  as  true  on  the  say  so,  or  teachings,  of 
others,  would,  if  thoroughly  examined  and  tested,  be 
found  to  be  without  any  reasonable  foundation." 

"  Yes,"  assented  the  Englishman,  "  and  if  people  began  to 
use  their  faculties  and  weigh  evidence,  how  much  of  the 
accepted  doctrines,  dogmas,  dicta,  and  hitherto  considered 
facts  in  popular  systems  of  sociology,  politics,  etc.,  would 
last  a  month  ?  " 

"  Truth,  with  a  large  admixture  of  error,  has  seemingly 
always  been  the  food  of  mankind,  and  it  may  be  that  the 
mental  and  moral  digestion  would  not  tolerate  the  pure 
article,  at  least  at  this  stage  of  development,  no  more  than 
the  physical  system  seems  able  to  assimilate  foods  or  carry 
on  its  digestive  process  thoroughly  without  a  certain  pro- 
portion of  waste  material  mixed  with  it,"  returned  Mr. 
Hastings. 

"But  you  gentleman  seem  to  think  that  you  have  estab- 
lished your  point — your  dagger  point,  I  mean — whereas  you 
are  only  a  minority,  the  majority,  the  intelligent  majority, 
still  holding  on  to  the  cross,"  archly  insisted  Louisa. 

"  But  here  comes  Dr.  Seaman,  fresh  from  his  after-din- 
ner ramble,"  said  her  father.  "  Seaman,  what  does  this 
building  remind  you  of  ?  " 

"  If  I  were  still  in  Europe  I  should  say  a  cross,  but  here 
it  would  seem  singular  to  build  a  private  house  in  such  a 


THE   RUSSIAN  REFUGEE.  157 

form  unless  the  man  was  very  « high  church '  indeed,  or 
else  a  Roman  Catholic." 

"  But  it  was  built,  so  far  as  I  can  find  out,  by  a  Russian," 
said  his  uncle. 

"  Was  it  ?  Then  undoubtedly  it  is  meant  for  a  cross,  for 
that  is  the  commonest  symbol  in  Russia." 

"  Let  me  shake  hands  with  you,  Dr.  Seaman,"  said  Lou- 
isa, with  mock  gravity,  after  a  little  peal  of  triumph  had 
been  uttered  by  the  ladies.  "I  knew  you  could  tell  a  cross 
from  a  weapon  of  war." 

In  vain  Mr.  Thompson  tried  to  point  out  the  suggestions  of 
ornamental  clasps  as  shown  in  the  stone-work,  also  the  scroll- 
work where  the  blade  entered  the  sheath.  "  Yes,  and  here 
is  a  circular  projection  to  represent  the  ring  by  which  the 
dagger  was  attached  to  the  person."  It  was  no  use  ;  the 
majority,  exulting  in  their  new  ally,  refused  to  be  converted. 

Elsie,  however,  after  the  mention  of  the  Russian  origin 
of  the  building,  could  not  help  thinking  of  a  certain  pict- 
ure, evidently  an  allegorical  composition,  in  which  a  dag- 
ger of  curious  workmanship  was  shown  piercing  the  centre 
of  a  blood-red  circle.  She  remembered  this  as  one  of  the 
strange  things  hanging  on  the  walls  of  the  cave,  and  she 
could  not  help  wondering  if  all  Russians  preferred  the  cross 
exclusively  as  a  symbol. 

The  inmates  of  the  Hermitage  were  delighted  with  their 
new  guests,  and  tried  in  every  way  to  make  their  visit  a 
pleasant  one.  They  intended  visiting  Niagara  Falls  and 
other  prominent  points,  and  even,  if  time  allowed,  to  cross 
the  continent  and  see  the  Yosemite  and  other  wonders  of 
California  and  the  Pacific  coast.  Elsie  and  the  young 
Englishwomen  agreed  charmingly,  and  after  Ellen's  reserve 
wore  off,  so  that  her  true,  gentle  nature  could  be  appre- 
ciated at  its  full  value,  Elsie  became  greatly  attached  to 
her,  and  she  half  suspected  a  certain  cousin  of  hers  held 
similar  or  warmer  sentiments  toward  the  fair  Briton. 


158  THE  RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

Elsie  and  Seaman  were  one  day  conversing  by  themselves, 
and  they  soon  found  they  had  touched  on  an  old  but  favor- 
ite topic — the  adaptability  of  different  temperaments  to 
each  other.  Elsie  mischievously  hinted  that,  in  spite  of 
his  theories,  she  expected  soon  to  have  a  new  cousin  in  the 
person  of  the  frank,  energetic  young  Englishwoman  with 
whom  he  had  had  the  adventure,  as  narrated  in  his  letter. 
"I  know  it  will  be  a  struggle  between  your  philosophy 
and  your  affections,  Cousin  Warren,  but  when  did  phil- 
osophy get  the  better  of  love  ? "  she  laughingly  asked 
him. 

"  You  mean  that  Louisa  and  I  resemble  each  other,  being 
of  similar  dispositions  and  temperament?  That  is  true, 
my  sapient  cousin,  for  we  are  both  of  the  vital  tempera- 
ment, and  of  the  sanguine  persuasion." 

"  Then  she  is  not  your — what  is  that  learned  expression 
of  yours  that  you  were  so  fond  of  ?  " 

"Physiological  complement,"  interposed  her  cousin. 

"  Oh,  yes,  physiological  complement.  Then  she  is  not 
your  '  physiological  complement  ? '  Upon  my  word,  that  is 
a  pretty  pet  name  to  apply  to  a  young  lady.  I  think  I 
must  tell  Louisa." 

"But  I  told  you  she  was  not  my  physiological  comple- 
ment," persisted  Seaman. 

"Then  how  dare  you  pay  court  to  a  lady  who  is  not 
your  'physio,  com./  which  is  short  for  the  jaw-twisting 
phrase  ?  "  quickly  remarked  Elsie. 

"  Prove  it.     I  deny  the  allegation  and  defy  the  allegator." 

"  Well,  then,  I  know  who  is  your  p.  c.,  and  it  may  be 
you  have  been  trying  to  throw  sand  in  my  eyes,  you  sly 
boots,  you.  The  young  lady  has  a  sister,  and  it  may  be 
that  with  her,  love  and  philosophy  can  harmonize.  I  shall 
watch  you,  sir,"  pointing  her  finger  at  him  mischievously. 

Under  her  seri-o-comic  look  of  accusation  she  was  de- 
lighted to  see  the  color  spring  to  her  cousin's  face,  and 


THE  RUSSIAN  REFUGEE.  159 

indeed  for  a  moment  he  seemed  utterly  nonplussed  by  her 
change  of  base,  but  he  soon  resumed  the  defensive. 

"My  dear  Elsie,  even  your  bright  optics  may  not  be 
sharp  enough  under  such  severe  conditions ;  let  me  offer 
you  a  pair  of  eye-glasses  for  the  purpose  in  view,"  at  the 
same  time  producing  a  queer  looking  pair  of  magnifying 
lenses  from  his  pocket. 

"  Don't  trouble  yourself,  sir.  What  my  eyes  cannot  detect 
in  this  matter  won't  be  of  much  account ;  besides,  I  may  en- 
list some  other  optics,  as  you  call  them,  in  this  noble  service." 

"  Success  to  you,  fair  coz,  and  when  you  find  out  my  p.  c. 
please  introduce  me." 

Dr.  Seaman  listened  favorably  to  his  uncle's  suggestion 
that  he  should  open  an  office  at  Melville,  although  he  con- 
cluded not  to  decide  until  thorough  investigation  had  been 
made.  He  was  much  discouraged  at  first  by  the  number 
of  physicians  already  located,  but  Mr.  Hastings  soon  showed 
him  that  this  drawback  was  more  apparent  than  real.  From 
various  causes,  which  have  been  alluded  to  before,  the  bulk 
of  the  practice  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  about  five  men, 
who  were  most  of  the  time  crowded  with  work.  The  new- 
comer might  have  up-hill  work  for  a  few  months,  but  the 
prospect  was  that  at  the  expiration  of  a  year  he  would  be 
in  active  practice. 

"  The  truth  is,  as  I  think  I  mentioned  in  my  letter,  we 
are  in  a  sort  of  crisis  with  regard  to  our  medical  men  here, 
and  a  good,  conscientious,  temperate  physician  coming  in 
will  have  nearly  as  good  a  chance  as  the  older  practitioners. 
Several  of  our  doctors  have  been  spoiled  by  success  and 
fallen  into  bad  habits,  and  the  best  families  will  not  employ 
them.  Even  if  they  should  reform  it  would  be  long  ere 
they  could  regain  the  confidence  of  the  community,  and  in 
any  case  would  probably  do  better  in  a  new  place,"  said 
the  owner  of  the  Hermitage  when  his  nephew  approached 
him  on  the  matter. 


160  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

Seaman  was  not  at  all  familiar  with  the  neighborhood, 
having  only  been  there  once  before  for  a  couple  of  weeks 
when  a  boy,  but  Elsie,  knowing  the  region  thoroughly,  soon 
posted  him  concerning  everything  of  importance,  and  they 
and  the  two  English  girls  had  a  variety  of  most  delightful 
walks  and  drives  far  and  near,  so  that  he  soon  felt  quite  at 
home. 

"Uncle,"  asked  he  at  dinner  one  clay,  "I  think  this  is 
the  only  place  I  have  ever  seen,  that  is  a  private  residence, 
having  a  circular  enclosure.  The  house  is  in  the  centre  of  a 
perfect  circle,  and  yet  you  have  straight  fences  enclosing  the 
entire  property,  which  seems  to  be  square  or  rectangular." 

"  I  noticed  the  same  thing  as  the  doctor,  and  was  a  little 
curious  about  this  circular  fence.  I  confess  I  rather  like  it, 
for  it  is  uncommon.  How  much  land  have  you  enclosed  in 
the  circle  ?  "  queried  the  English  guest. 

"  Somewhere  about  fifteen  acres,"  returned  the  host,  "  but 
the  circle  was  not  my  own  choice.  I  found  it  so  enclosed 
and  left  it.  It  was  a  whim  of  the  former  proprietor,  the 
man  who  built  the  dwelling." 

"I  do  not  wonder  at  your  leaving  it  alone,  uncle,  for  it 
would  have  been  a  formidable  thing  to  have  removed  or 
altered  a  solid  stone  wall  like  this  which  composes  the  cir- 
cle." 

"  No  doubt  that  was  the  chief  reason  for  its  remaining 
undisturbed,"  said  his  uncle,  "  for  Mr.  Whitely,  from  whom 
I  purchased  the  place  thirty  years  ago,  told  me  it  was  al- 
ways an  eye-sore  to  him,  as  it  made  his  fields  such  awkward 
shapes." 

"  I  notice  the  wall  seems  to  have  been  painted  on  the  in- 
side ;  rather  a  useless  expense,  I  should  think,  for  a  stone 
wall,"  remarked  Mr.  Thompson. 

"  True,  and  of  all  colors  in  the  world,  it  was  originally 
painted  red,  which  Mr.  Whitely,  on  taking  possession,  cov- 
ered with  a  deep  brown,  and  occasionally  I  have  given  it  a 


THE  RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  161 

coat  of  the  same  color ;  but,  as  you  say,  it  is  a  useless  ex- 
pense, and  I  do  not  think  I  shall  continue  it." 

Elsie,  who  had  listened  to  the  latter  part  of  the  conversa- 
tion with  dilated  eyes,  observed  eagerly,  as  her  father  ceased 
speaking  : 

"  Mr.  Thompson,  I  am  a  convert  to  your  opinion.  I  am 
satisfied  that  this  house  was  built  intentionally  in  the  form 
of  a  dagger." 

"Bravo  !  Miss  Elsie,"  said  the  guest.  "  I  knew  a  sensible 
girl  like  you  would  take  the  right  side  eventually.  Now 
the  rest  of  you  had  better  surrender  while  the  door  of 
mercy  stands  open." 

"Why,  Elsie,  what  has  brought  you  round  so  suddenly? 
But  we  don't  propose  to  abandon  our  colors  in  any  such 
dastardly  manner,  do  we,  young  ladies  ?  "  asked  Seaman. 

"  No,  indeed,"  returned  Louisa  ;  "  '  Britons  never  will  be 
slaves.'  We  stand  by  the  cross." 

"  An  evangelical  sentiment,  even  if  not  necessarily  a  pat- 
riotic one,"  said  her  father. 

"  Elsie,  you  said  you  were  satisfied  that  the  house  was 
intentionally  built  in  the  form  of  a  dagger.  Will  you  ex- 
plain what  you  mean  by  intentionally  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Has- 
tings, regarding  his  daughter  keenly. 

She  blushed  painfully,  and  hesitated  for  an  instant. 
Her  cousin,  perceiving  her  embarrassment,  came  to  the  res- 
cue. 

"  Oh,  uncle,  isn't  it  a  little  cruel  to  ask  any  young  lady 
for  an  explanation  of  her  emphatic  utterances.  She  wished 
merely  to  impress  her  hearers  that  she  had  a  reason  for 
changing  her  mind,  which,  some  wicked  people  say,  is  a 
little  unusual  with  the  fair  sex." 

Elsie  looked  half  gratefully  and  half  saucily  at  her  cousin, 
as  she  answered,  "Well,  father,  I  did  think  I  saw  a  reason 
for  the  building  taking  this  shape,  but,  as  it  is  a  mere  sur- 
mise, I  had  better  verify  it  before  making  it  public."  She 
11 


162  THE  RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

really  felt  thankful  to  Warren  for  so  dexterously  giving  her 
time  to  recover  herself,  though  she  was  well  aware  that  her 
explanation  would  not  satisfy  him. 

"  I  wish  Dr.  Seaman  would  give  us  his  authority  for  the 
quotation  he  used  with  reference  to  woman's  reasons," 
Louisa  Thompson  remarked,  with  an  assumption  of  offend- 
ed dignity. 

"I  really  cannot  do  it,  but  it  is  a  common  saying  that 
no  woman  ever  gives  a  reason  for  changing  her  mind." 

"  Ah !  a  very  different  thing  from  not  having  a  reason. 
Men  cannot  always  be  trusted,  and  so  wise  women  keep 
their  own  counsel,  which  probably  exasperated  some  weak- 
headed  individual  of  the  sterner  sex  into  originating  this 
saying,  which  is  so  greedily  seized  on  and  quoted  by  his 
brethren." 

This  reply  produced  considerable  merriment  at  the  table, 
especially  when  Seaman  replied  : 

"  Weak-headed  individual  and  his  brethren  !  Isn't  that 
a  little  personal?  " 

"Present  company  excepted,  of  course,"  Ellen  said, 
quietly,  looking  at  the  doctor. 

"  That  depends  on  the  motive  which  prompted  the  quo- 
tation. If  an  evil  one,  then  I  move  that  the  sentiment  of 
the  valiant  defender  of  her  much-abused  sex  stand  approved 
as  delivered,  and  no  exceptions  be  allowed,  present  or  ab- 
sent," promptly  answered  Elsie  to  Mr.  Thompson's  great 
delight,  who  shouted  : 

"  Bravo  !  bravo  !  no  chance  for  you,  Seaman,  not  one  bit, 
unless  you  apologize." 

Seaman  tried  to  look  comically  penitent  and  at  once  dis- 
claimed any  evil  intent  whatever  in  his  remarks,  but  Louisa 
declared  that  there  was  a  vicious  look  in  his  left  eye  which 
flatly  contradicted  what  his  lips  uttered,  and  urged  that  his 
apology  be  refused.  It  was  finally  agreed  on,  at  Mr.  Has- 
tings' suggestion,  that  he  be  condemned  to  pay  a  penalty 


THE   RUSSIAN   EEFUGEE.  163 

commensurate  with  the  offence,  said  penalty  to  be  decided 
by  the  young  ladies  after  mature  deliberation. 

The  next  morning  the  guests  started  on  a  two  or  three 
weeks'  trip  to  Niagara  and  the  West,  accompanied  by  Dr. 
Seaman,  and  the  inmates  of  the  Hermitage  found  themselves 
again  alone. 

The  curious  coincidence  of  the  red-painted  circular  fence 
and  the  dagger-shaped  building  in  its  centre,  with  the  pict- 
ure in  the  cave,  caused  Elsie  much  reflection.  She  felt 
now  that  at  the  dinner-table  she  had  rather  hastily  drawn 
a  conclusion  on  insufficient  data ;  yet  the  more  she 
thought  the  subject  over,  the  more  she  doubted  its  being  a 
mere  coincidence.  But  she  regretted  her  rash  expression, 
which  she  was  aware  had  much  surprised  her  father,  al- 
though he  made  no  subsequent  allusion  to  it.  His  confi- 
dence touched  her  deeply,  and  she  longed  for  the  time  to 
arrive  when  she  could  tell  him  everything  and  no  longer 
have  any  secret  from  him.  There  had  been  such  very  open 
relations  between  them  in  the  past  that  the  present  im- 
posed reticence  was  peculiarly  irksome  to  her.  She  now 
felt  almost  feverishly  impatient  for  another  visit  to  the 
cave  so  that  she  could  examine  the  picture  again  and  find 
out  something  about  it  also,  and,  more  important  still,  that 
she  could  in  some  way  or  another  contrive  that  her  father 
and  the  "  Refugee,"  for  so  he  had  spoken  of  himself,  should 
meet,  and  her  beloved  parent  share  the  confidence  in  rela- 
tion to  these  interesting  strangers  which  she  herself  en- 
joyed. 


CHAPTEE  XV. 
PACE  TO  FACE  AT  LAST. 

"  GOOD  morning,  Mr.  Hastings,"  said  a  memory-rousing 
voice,  as  that  gentleman  was  about  to  enter  his  grounds 
after  a  brisk  early  walk  in  the  balmy  spring  air.  "Might  I 
detain  you  for  a  few  moments  before  you  go  to  the  house  ?  " 

"  I  remember  your  voice,  but  cannot  recall  your  name  nor 
face,"  said  the  owner  of  the  grounds  in  a  puzzled  way,  as  he 
sharply  regarded  the  other. 

The  stranger  raised  one  hand  to  his  long  flowing  gray 
beard  and  the  other  to  his  cap  and  both  disappeared  in  a 
twinkling,  and  the  astonished  observer  beheld  the  calm,  res- 
olute features  and  bushy  head  of  the  English  detective 
who  had  first  called  upon  him.  Mr.  Hastings  recoiled  a 
step  and  then  advanced  almost  threateningly,  as  the  other 
thought. 

"  What  do  you  do  here  ?  What  do  you  want  with  me  ? 
Have  you  come  to  prepare  for  another  robbery  of  my 
premises  ?  " 

"  Pardon  me,  Mr.  Hastings,  my  intrusion  on  you,  and  I 
will  pardon  your  remark.  I  regret  to  know  that  you  have 
again  suffered  at  the  hands  of  that  accomplished  villain, 
but  surely  you  are  not  justified  in  connecting  me  with 
your  misfortunes." 

"  Did  you  not  call  on  me  a  few  weeks  ago  and  make 
various  inquiries,  leading  me  to  believe  that  you  were  an 
English  Bow  Street  officer,  a  special  detective  sent  out  here 
to  arrest  a  notorious  criminal  who  had  escaped  from  Brit- 


THE   RUSSIAN    EEFUGEE.  165 

ish  justice,  and  who,  furthermore,  you  declared  had  un- 
doubtedly robbed  my  desk  ?  " 

The  other  merely  assented  by  nodding  his  head,  at  the 
same  time  restoring  his  cap  and  beard  to  their  former 
places.  The  gentleman  went  on  : 

"  After  taking  full  notes  of  everything  connected  with  the 
desk  robbery,  you  left,  saying  that  in  a  few  days  you  might 
return  and  question  the  servants,  especially  the  governess." 

The  other  again  assented. 

"A  week  later  another  detective  "  (and  here  the  speaker 
emphasized  the  word  scornfully)  "called  on  me  and  repre- 
senting himself  as  your  colleague,  did,  with  my  permission, 
examine  the  housekeeper  to  such  good  effect  that,  a  few 
nights  later,  my  dwelling  was  entered  and  thoroughly 
robbed,  and  by  parties  who  knew  the  premises  and  had 
carefully  laid  and  executed  their  plans  on  information  pre- 
viously obtained." 

The  countenance  of  the  visitor  as  the  narration  pro- 
ceeded, so  far  as  could  be  told,  concealed  as  it  was  by  the 
great  beard  and  slouched  cap,  expressed  unbounded  sur- 
prise, succeeded  by  a  smile  of  satisfaction  or  admiration, 
the  irritated  and  indignant  observer  could  hardly  tell  which, 
as  Mr.  Hastings  told  of  the  visit  of  his  colleague  and  sub- 
sequent successful  robbery.  As  the  narrator  paused,  almost 
choked  with  anger,  which  his  strong  self-control  could 
hardly  keep  within  bounds,  the  stranger  burst  out  with  : 

"  By  George,  that  was  the  sharpest  trick  I  ever  heard  of. 
I'm  blessed  if  it  isn't/' 

"  I  don't  doubt  it.  Of  course,  you  admit  it,  and  consider 
it  very  cleverly  done.  Pray,  what  share  of  the  proceeds  did 
you  receive  ?  " 

"  I  understand  you  perfectly,  my  dear  sir,  and  pardon 
your  suspicions.  In  fact,  after  hearing  your  story  I  don't 
wonder  at  them  at  all,  but,  the  truth  is,  this  clever  rascal 
has  stolen  a  march  on  me,  and  actually,  while  in  the  very 


166  THE   RUSSIAN   EEFUGEE. 

meshes  of  the  law  which  he  has  so  frequently  outraged 
again  and  again,  has  played  a  successful  ruse  worthy  of 
Napoleon.  I  respect  him  for  it,  Mr.  Hastings.  I  always 
admire  the  man  who  can  outwit  me." 

This  was  said  with  an  undisguised  professional  admira- 
tion of  the  sharp  trick  which  had  been  played,  that  half 
disarmed  his  hearer  for  the  moment. 

"In  your  enjoyment  of  the  success  of  your  accomplice 
you  forgot  to  answer  my  question  as  to  your  share  in  the 
proceeds,  or  swag,  as,  I  believe,  you  gentlemen  call  it  ?  " 

The  detective  regarded  the  speaker  with  a  twinkle  in  his 
eye,  which  denoted  ill-suppressed  merriment,  but  without 
the  slightest  shade  of  resentment  at  the  insulting  imputa- 
tion, and  then,  seemingly  mastering  his  risibilities  by  an 
effort,  answered : 

"Mr.  Hastings,  can  you  in  common  reason  suppose  that, 
were  I '  particeps  criminis '  in  this  affair,  I  would  voluntarily 
put  my  head  in  the  lion's  mouth  ?  Why,  man,  you  could 
arrest  me  at  once  on  suspicion  and  so  defeat  all  my  plans. 
No,  sir,  you  have  been  deceived  by  a  consummate  actor 
and  thief,  who,  knowing  of  my  presence  in  this  country, 
and  surmising  its  object,  and  also  knowing,  by  some  means 
which  I  cannot  at  present  divine,  of  my  visit  to  your  house, 
determined  to  circumvent  me  by  a  master-stroke,  and  fill 
his  pockets  at  the  same  time." 

"Then  you  disclaim  any  connection  with  this  thieving 
gang,  and  still  insist  that  you  are  a  bonafide  detective  ?  " 

"  Most  emphatically  I  do,  and  if  you  will  accompany  me  to 
my  hotel  in  Melville,  where  my  valise  is,  I  think  I  can  satis- 
fy you  by  unmistakable  evidence  of  the  truth  of  what  I  aver." 

"  Well,  then,  I  must  hold  my  judgment  in  suspense,  but 
warn  you  that  I  can  hold  no  official  relations  with  you,  nor 
admit  you  again  to  my  house  on  any  pretext  whatever,  until 
I  am  fully  satisfied  of  the  truth  of  your  claims.  You  must 
concede  that  I  am  justified  in  this  course  by  recent  events." 


THE   RUSSIAN    REFUGEE.  167 

"  All  right,  but  I  shall  take  it  as  a  favor  if  you  will  afford 
me  an  early  opportunity  of  verifying  what  I  have  stated,  as 
in  your  capacity  of  J.  P.  I  may  have  to  apply  to  you  for 
authority  to  make  some  arrests  before  long.  To  be  frank 
with  you,  a  gang  of  English  burglars  and  forgers  have 
crossed  the  ocean,  and  I  am  one  of  four  detectives  \vho  are 
in  pursuit,  with  the  intention  of  extraditing  them  as  speed- 
ily as  possible.  They  have  engaged  in  profitable  work  here, 
as  the  entry  on  your  premises  clearly  shows." 

"  Bat  why  not  arrest  them  at  once,  if  you  know  them, 
and  also  where  they  are,  as  you  certainly  stated  to  me  at 
our  first  meeting  ?  " 

"For  several  reasons,  of  which  the  principal  is,  that  our 
chief,  with  the  necessary  documents  to  authorize  arrest  and 
application  for  extradition,  has  not  yet  arrived,  and  so  all 
we  can  do  is  to  watch  the  game." 

"  But  why  not  arrest  them  on  suspicion  and  hold  them 
until  your  chief  arrives  ?  Perhaps  I  asked  you  the  question 
before,  but  have  forgotten  your  answer." 

"  You  did,  and  I  will  answer  more  fully  than  I  did  on 
that  occasion.  If  I  did  arrest  these  men,  they  would  im- 
mediately fee  a  couple  of  your  sharp,  tricky  lawyers  who 
would  dare  me  to  produce  my  proofs,  and  these  not  im- 
mediately forthcoming,  the  magistrate  would  release  the 
prisoners  at  once,  and  then  our  game  would  be  up ;  for,  hav- 
ing been  compelled  to  show  our  hands,  all  chances  of  success 
would  be  gone.  Now  I  have  been  frank  with  you,  which 
is  an  unusual  thing  for  a  detective,  I  assure  you  ;  but  I  trust 
to  vour  honor  that  everything  that  has  passed  between  us 
will  be  kept  sealed  in  your  own  breast,  and  I  on  my  part  in 
return  for  such  favor  will  leave  no  effort  unmade  to  restore 
you  your  property  and  convict  the  robbers." 

So  saying  the  officer  or  robber,  whichever  he  was,  raised 
his  cap,  saying,  "  Au  revoir,"  and  departed  leaving  his 
hearer  in  serious  doubt  whether  it  was  not  his  duty  as  a 


168  THE   EUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

magistrate  to  endeavor  to  secure  his  arrest  and  detention 
until  he  could  prove  his  identity.  However,  the  strong 
doubt  in  the  man's  favor,  which  had  been  increasing  during 
the  last  few  moments  of  conversation  with  him,  paralyzed 
any  such  intention  in  the  gentleman's  mind  until  it  was  too 
late  to  put  it  in  execution. 

On  Mr.  Hastings'  return  to  the  house,  he  found  Elsie 
in  her  walking-dress,  apparently  just  waiting  his  arrival 
before  starting  out. 

"  Father,  I  just  waited  to  say  good-by,  as  I  shall  prob- 
ably not  return  until  evening." 

"Why,  my  child,  isn't  this  a  rather  sudden  freak?  I 
thought  you  were  to  spend  to-day  in  the  garden  arranging 
those  new  flower-beds  ?  " 

"So  I  was;  but  Hans  brought  me  a  note  from  an  old 
friend,  who  wishes  to  see  me,  and  so  I  thought  I  would 
postpone  the  flower-beds  until  to-morrow — that  is,  if  you 
don't  mind." 

The  fact  was,  Hans  since  early  morning  had  been  watch- 
ing and  making  sundry  sly  visits  to  the  house  on  one  pre- 
text or  another,  in  the  hope  of  seeing  his  young  mistress 
alone,  in  order  to  deliver  to  her  the  precious  note  intrusted 
to  him  by  Gretchen,  with  many  cautions  to  give  it  to  no 
one  but  Miss  Elsie,  and  when  no  one  else  was  looking. 

"  Now  Hans,  mein  one  son,  you  tooken  dis  lettaire  to 
Meese  Elsie  und  put  ento  her  hands  youself.  An  den, 
Hans,  your  mudder  will  haf  somedings  goot  for  you  dis 
nacht." 

And  Hans,  who  was  very  fond  of  "somedings  goot,"  re- 
solved that  Miss  Elsie  should  have  that  letter,  and  no  one 
else.  Hans,  under  Mr.  Hastings'  new  system  with  him,  had 
managed  to  keep  sober  longer  than  since  he  became  his 
own  master,  and  was  doing  very  fairly  as  under-gardener 
and  man  of  all  work.  The  truth  was,  that  Hans  was 
merely  one  of  a  large  class  who  are  decent  people  so  long 


THE    RUSSIAN    REFUGEE.  169 

as  they  are  under  rigid  discipline,  but  who  have  not  de- 
veloped yet  to  the  point  where  they  can  control  their 
appetites  and  govern  themselves. 

Grown-up  children  are  not  by  any  means  uncommon — that 
is,  people  in  adulthood,  with  all  the  child's  ungoverned  im- 
pulses, with  none  of  the  controlling  power  which  maturity 
commonly  gives.  It  becomes  a  nice  question  whether  the 
state  should  not  stand  in  loco  parentis  to  such  unfortunates, 
and  keep  them  in  leading-strings  of  legislative  control,  so 
enmeshing  them  by  legal  bonds  that  they  cannot  go  very 
far  astray  ;  controlling,  too,  with  iron  hand  the  scoundrels 
who  reap  a  golden  harvest  by  pandering  to  the  weaknesses 
of  their  fellows. 

Elsie's  letter  was  from  the  patriarch,  asking  her  to  visit 
them  again,  as  he  had  something  to  communicate  to  her 
which  he  knew  she  wished  to  hear,  and  saying  that  the 
same  arrangements  would  be  made  to  conduct  her  to  the 
cave  as  before.  It  particularly  asked  her  to  come  on  the  day 
of  receiving  the  letter,  if  possible  ;  otherwise,  the  following 
day  at  the  same  hour.  Elsie  was  too  anxious  for  another 
visit  to  delay,  and  so  prepared  at  once,  merely  awaiting  the 
arrival  of  her  parent  before  starting. 

"  Elsie,  my  dear  child,  I  know  it  is  something  in  which 
you  are  much  interested,  or  you  would  not  give  up  our 
garden  plan  ;  but  to-morrow  will  answer  just  as  well  for  the 
plants.  May  you  have  a  pleasant  journey  to  the  unknown, 
for  I  suppose  it  is  there." 

"  O  father,  you  don't  know  how  anxious  I  am  to  bring 
this  secrecy  to  an  end  between  us.  However,  I  hope  some- 
thing will  grow  out  of  this  visit." 

The  young  woman  soon  reached  the  same  point  where 
Hiram  had  been  awaiting  her  before  ;  but  this  time  no 
Hiram  appeared. 

Was  she  too  early,  or  had  the  trapper  forgotten  ?  Yet  she 
felt  certain  that  the  faithful  fellow  would  sooner  have  waited 


170  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

all  clay  than  put  her  to  the  inconvenience  of  waiting  ten 
minutes.  Presently  in  the  distance  she  saw  some  one 
coming,  and  she  sat  down  on  a  convenient  log  to  await  the 
hunter's  arrival. 

"  It  is  about  the  same  time  as  before,"  she  said  to  herself, 
looking  at  her  watch  ;  something  must  have  hindered  him. 
But  as  the  traveller  appeared,  she  became  doubtful  if 
it  really  was  the  "Giraffe." 

"  No,  it  is  not  Hiram.  Who  can  it  be  ?  I  have  surely 
seen  that  figure  before — that  firm,  strong  walk,  that  rather 
proud  bearing." 

A  moment  more,  and  the  new-comer  had  raised  his  cap 
in  salute,  revealing  the  strong,  manly  features  of  the 
energetic  stranger,  -whose  skill  and  courage  had  proved  so 
efficient  on  the  night  of  the  fire. 

"  Miss  Hastings,"  he  said  with  a  smile,  but  somewhat  dif- 
fident air,  rather  at  variance,  she  thought,  with  the  calm 
self-reliance  which  had  excited  her  admiration  at  their 
former  interview.  She  started  up  impulsively,  and  offered 
her  hand. 

"  How  glad  I  am  to  have  an  opportunity  at  last  of  thank- 
ing you  for  your  courage  and  tact  in  helping  us  from  that 
terrible  fire  !  My  father  has  long  wished  to  meet  you  and 
thank  you,  and  so  have  I." 

His  face  glowed  with  evident  pleasure  as  he  grasped 
the  extended  hand. 

"Believe  me,  Miss  Hastings,  no  commendation  goes  so 
far  as  yours  in  rewarding  me  for  the  little  I  was  able  to  do 
on  that  occasion." 

"  I  don't  know  what  we  should  have  all  done,  if  it  had  not 
been  for  your  self-control  and  presence  of  mind.  Why 
did  you  go  away  so  abruptly,  and  gave  no  one  a  chance  to 
thank  you  ?  " 

"I  will  tell  you  as  we  go  along,  for  I  believe  we  walk  in 
the  same  direction." 


THE  RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  171 

"  Do  we  ?  "  she  said,  with  a  puzzled  air  ;  "I  came  here 
to  meet  a  friend,"  and  here  she  hesitated,  as  if  in  doubt. 

"And  are  not  quite  satisfied  to  take  a  substitute,"  he  said, 
anticipating,  as  it  were  ;  but  immediately  added  : 

"  Oh,  no,  I  do  not  mean  that ;  but  you  would  like  to  know 
by  what  authority  I  claim  to  be  a  substitute." 

A  new  thought  struck  her. 

"Did  you  really  come  here  in  place  of ?  " 

"Hiram,"  he  supplied  quickly  with  a  meaning  smile. 
"Yes  ;  and  although  I  can  never  hope  to  equal  the  gallant 
'  Giraffe '  in  his  manifold  accomplishments,  yet  if  Miss  Hast- 
ings will  trust  me,  I  will  do  my  best  to  lead  her  safely  to 
her  destination." 

"  But  do  you  know  where  I  am  bound  for  ?  "  she  asked 
quizzingly. 

"To  the  cave  to  see  the  'Exile' and  Nadia  and  Sophia," 
he  answered  promptly,  looking  at  her  fixedly,  as  if  to  note 
her  surprise  and  the  effect  of  his  words.  She  was  indeed 
surprised — so  much  so  that  for  a  moment  she  could  not 
find  words  to  respond. 

"  So  you  know  them  too.  Is  it  possible  ?  How  strange  ! 
I  thought  they  had  no  acquaintances  outside." 

"  Neither  have  they,  so  far  as  I  know,  with  the  welcome 
exception  of  yourself,"  he  returned,  still  regarding  her  with 
that  meaning  glance  which  she  could  not  understand. 

She  felt  bewildered,  almost  irritated,  like  one  who  has 
lost  the  way,  and  still  in  the  darkness  gropes  painfully  for 
the  path.  All  at  once  a  great  light  burst  upon  her,  and 
her  countenance  fairly  beamed  as  she  uttered,  confidently, 
"  Then  you  must,  be  Mr.  Adolph — are  you  not  ?  " 

"I  have  that  honor  ;  for  it  is  an  honor  to  bear  a  name  so 
kindly  remembered  by  Miss  Hastings." 

"  How  glad  I  am  at  last  to  meet  one,  face  to  face,  to 
whom  I  am  under  such  obligations ! " 

"Please  don't  use  that  word — please  don't ;  it  jars  on  my 


172  THE   RUSSIAN   EEFUGEE. 

feelings  painfully.  It  was  the  star-pleasure  of  my  life  to 
have  been  able  to  serve  you.  But  if  you  can  trust  me  now, 
suppose  we  move  in  the  direction  of  the  cave." 

Cheerfully  assenting,  they  moved  forward  in  the  direc- 
tion she  more  than  half -remembered  ;  but,  instead  of  leading- 
some  distance  ahead,  her  companion  walked  by  her  side, 
busy  answering  her  eager  questions  regarding  her  rescue 
from  the  ravine  and  removal  to  the  cave. 

So  absorbed  had  she  been  that  she  was  startled  when  the 
gentleman  halted  abruptly,  saying :  "Miss  Hastings,  you  are 
not  afraid  of  the  dark,  are  you  ?  But  I  know  you  are  not." 

"  Not  a  bit.  This  is  the  place  for  the  handkerchief,  I 
suppose.  I  don't  mind  at  all.  You  know  I  have  been 
through  it  before." 

"I  shall  not  bind  your  eyes,  Miss  Hastings,  nor  exact 
any  pledge  whatsoever ;  we  feel  quite  safe  in  your  hands." 

"I  really  think  you  had  better  bind  my  eyes— please  do." 

"  If  you  really  prefer  it,  I  will  do  so." 

So  saying,  a  silk  bandage  was  produced  and  skilfully 
adjusted,  and  in  a  few  moments  she  felt  that  they  had 
quitted  the  upper  air  and  were  in  the  subterranean  passage. 

"  Thank  fortune,  here  we  are,  safe  and  sound ;  and  this 
intrusive  silk  must  cloud  your  bright  eyes  no  longer,  Miss 
Hastings,"  her  companion  said  as  they  halted. 

And  Elsie  found,  with  the  restored  sight,  the  familial- 
surroundings  and  the  pleasant  faces  of  the  cave  friends 
eagerly  crowding  round  to  greet  her. 

"  Slava  Bogu,"  said  Nadia,  while  Sophia  seized  both 
hands  of  the  visitor,  saying  in  pretty  fashion,  with  just  a 
slight  accent,  "  How  are  you — very  good?" 

Elsie  kissed  the  little  maiden,  and  then  was  warmly 
greeted  by  the  venerable  master  of  the  underground  house : 
"  My  daughter,  pleasant  as  the  spring  to  see  you  again. 
Adolph  brought  you  safely  ?  "  looking  with  parental  pride 
younger  man. 


THE   EUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  173 

"  Yes,  indeed,  and  I  was  so  glad  to  meet  Mr.  Aclolph  at 
last,  and  to  have  a  chance  to  thank  him  !  You  know  how 
much  I  wanted  to  see  him,  and  tell  him  of  my  gratitude  ;  " 
then  turning  to  Adolph,  "  You  must  allow  me  to  ask  you 
why  you  did  not  come  to  see  me,  or  put  in  an  appearance 
while  I  was  here  so  long,  or  at  my  last  visit." 

"I  will  tell  you  as  we  are  going  home,"  he  said  evasively, 
coloring  like  a  boy  under  her  glance. 

Indeed,  she  noticed  the  singular  combination  of  confi- 
dence and  diffidence,  of  courage  and  timidity  in  the  charac- 
ter of  this  interesting  stranger.  She  had  an  indefinite 
memory  of  observing  a  similar  union  of  traits  before,  but 
could  not  quite  recall  where.  She  saw  at  once  that  Adolph 
was  the  idol  of  the  cave-circle,  and  had  a  contagious  good- 
humor  that  seemed  to  spread  sunshine  through  the  apart- 
ment. 

Although  it  was  late  spring,  the  great  fire  still  glowed  in 
the  fire-place  ;  but  the  "  Ancient"  informed  her,  in  answer 
to  her  exclamation  of  surprise  at  this,  that  it  was  necessary 
for  ventilation  and  to  keep  away  dampness. 

"  We  keep  some  fire  all  summer,  and  find  it  very  pleasant, 
too,  in  the  evenings  ;  for  our  cave  is  much  cooler  than  any 
upperground  house,  and  correspondingly  warmer  in  win- 
ter." 

"Father  has  shown  the  cave-rooms,  or  at  least  part  of 
them,  Miss  Hastings  ;  but  perhaps  you  would  like  to  see  a 
new  chamber  which  I  have  cleaned  out  since  you  were 
here,"  asked  Adolph. 

"  Oh,  thank  you  ever  so  much  ;  I  should,  indeed." 

"It  is  called  the  'Harper's  Grotto,'"  said  Adolph  who 
led  the  way,  the  whole  party  following  as  if  unwilling  to 
lose  a  moment  of  the  guest's  presence  with  them. 

It  was  some  little  distance  from  the  suite  of  dwelling 
rooms,  and  was  altogether  the  handsomest  Elsie  had  yet 
seen.  The  formations  were  white  as  the  purest  Parian 


174  THE   EUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

marble,  and  indeed  the  first  impression  on  the  mind  was 
that  of -a  hall  of  superb  statuary.  In  the  centre  was  a  fac- 
simile of  an  enormous  Irish  harp  with  an  ancient  harpist, 
whose  snowy  locks  streamed  to  his  shoulders.  So  superbly 
realistic  was  this  piece  of  natural  statuary  in  outline  that 
the  visitor  at  first  could  not  be  persuaded  that  it  was  merely 
the  work  of  blind  force  and  accidental  arrangement. 

The  entire  scene  was  strangely  weird  and  impressive  ; 
grand  and  awe-inciting  beyond  expression.  These  wonder- 
working agencies,  these  unseen  sculptors,  these  invisible 
magicians,  what  were  they,  and  where  were  they  ? 

Elsie  almost  momentarily  expected  to  see  solemn  spectres 
stalk  majestically  upon  the  scene  out  of  the  dim  shady 
vacancy  around,  with  tools  and  implements  of  artistic  toil 
and  begin  chiselling  and  shaping  and  forming  new  creations 
of  fancy,  wild  and  strange.  The  room,  or  hall,  or  studio, 
whatever  it  might  be  called,  looked  precisely  as  if  the  workers 
had  been  suddenly  surprised  and  had  deserted  the  premises 
in  alarm,  leaving  much  unfinished  work.  Numerous  un- 
completed groups  stood  around,  to  which  fancy  soon  gave 
shape  and  meaning — puzzling  masses,  with  curious  re- 
semblances, which  fantastically  changed  and  varied  as  the 
spectator  moved  from  point  to  point. 

There  is  a  peculiar  sensation  experienced  in  gazing  on  the 
singular  formations,  often  met  with  in  large  caves,  that  is 
unique.  There  is  something  that  at  once  appeals  to  the 
latent  superstition  in  the  blood  when  one  gazes  on  these 
marvels,  made  without  hands,  in  the  inner  parts  of  the  earth, 
the  work  of  ages  and  ages  in  the  darkness  and  slime  and 
damp.  Blind,  dead  matter  seems  to  have  a  purpose,  an 
intention,  and  to  be  moved  by  an  instinct.  It  appears  to 
be  feeling  its  way  toward  a  higher  stage,  groping  in  the 
gloom  for  something  which  is  suggested  and  hinted  but 
never  fully  expressed. 

Elsie  could  have  passed  hours  in  this  strange  place,  if 


THE    RUSSIAN    REFUGEE.  175 

she  might  have  yielded  to  the  fascination  which  it  exerted 
over  her. 

"  Better  not  remain  too  long  in  the  damp  atmosphere  of 
this  chamber.  When  the  summer  heats  have  penetrated 
the  cave  somewhat,  and  we  have  arranged  a  better  ventila- 
tion, then  come  some  time  and  spend  as  long  as  you  like," 
said  Adolph  in  a  low  tone. 

The  fire  felt  pleasant  after  the  chilly  air  of  the  other  parts 
of  the  cave,  and  dinner  over,  all  gathered  round  for  social 
enjoyment  and  converse  with  the  welcome  guest. 

"You  expressed  great  desire,  my  daughter,  that  we 
should  meet  your  father,  and  I  promised  that  I  would  give 
the  matter  attention  and  see  if  it  would  be  possible  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,  that  is  my  dearest  wish,  if  it  can  be  arranged 
some  way."  Here  she  met  Adolph's  gaze  and  colored,  she 
hardly  knew  why,  unless  it  was  at  the  admiration  which 
she  read  in  his  expressive  face. 

"  Yes,  Miss  Hastings,  father  and  I  have  considered  the 
matter  with  carefulness,  and  feel  that  your  father  is  one  of 
us  in  heart — that  we  can  trust  him." 

"  How  kind  of  you  to  say  so,  and  I  am  sure  you  are  not 
mistaken,"  and  her  face  glowed  with  filial  pride  as  she 
spoke. 

Suddenly  her  eyes  rested  on  the  symbolic  picture  hang- 
ing on  the  wall,  before  referred  to,  and  the  question  she 
had  determined  to  ask  the  "  Refugee  "  sprang  to  her  lips  : 
"  Would  you  mind  explaining  to  me  the  meaning  of  that 
curious  picture.  I  have  seen  something  since  that  reminded 
me  of  it." 

The  two  Russians  exchanged  significant  glances. 

"What  have  you  seen,  my  child?  Perhaps  I  can  explain 
it  for  you." 

She  then  told  of  the  discussion  relative  to  the  shape  of 
the  house  and  the  painted  wall,  and  how  she  had  been  in- 
duced to  change  her  opinion  by  the  memory  of  this  picture. 


176  THE  RUSSIAN   EEFUGEE. 

The  father  and  son  exchanged  a  few  sentences  in  their 
native  language,  and  then  the  elder,  turning  to  the  maiden 
with  a  pleasant  smile,  said  :  "  You  are  a  very  intelligent 
young  lady.  Did  you  ever  hear  that  one  of  my  country- 
men once  owned  your  place  ?  " 

"Yes,  I  have  heard  father  say  so  many  times,  but  I 
never  thought  of  it  until  they  began  talking  about  the 
house  being  in  the  shape  of  a  dagger,  and  in  a  circle,  and 
then  I  remembered  about  the  picture,  and  the  Eussian  gen- 
tleman who  had  built  the  house,  and  laid  out  the  grounds, 
and  I  thought  that  possibly  he  might  have  belonged  to  the 
order  you  were  telling  me  about." 

During  her  excited,  or  rather  animated,  statement — for 
her  cheeks  were  flushed  and  her  eyes  shone  brightly,  show- 
ing how  interested  she  felt  in  the  matter — the  two,  or  indeed 
we  might  say  the  four,  listeners  sat  earnestly  regarding  her. 
Nadia  and  her  daughter,  of  course,  could  only  guess  at  the 
subject  under  discussion,  or  from  the  few  words  passed  be- 
tween the  two  gentlemen  might  have  partly  understood  it, 
but  the  Kefugee  and  his  son  drank  in  every  word  with 
eagerness. 

Elsie  noticed  by  their  manner  that  it  was  a  matter  which 
awakened  profound  feelings  and  stirred  up  far-reaching- 
memories. 

A  few  more   words  in  Eussian  and   then  Adolph   said 

gently,  bending  toward  her  :    "  Miss  Hastings,  the  original 

owner  of  your  property  was  a  member  of  our  noble  baud, 

</  the  Brotherhood  of  the  Eed  Circle.     Yes,  and,  Slava  Bogu, 

in  spirit  one  of  us,  as  ever." 

This  reverential  allusion  to  one  who  while  in  the  body 
was  a  member  of  the  sacred  Circle,  and  being  absent  from 
them,  still,  so  the  thought  came  to  her,  sympathized  with 
their  work,  touched  the  visitor  deeply.  She  felt  strongly 
drawn  toward  these  poor  exiles  from  their  native  land,  and 
a  feeling  of  righteous  indignation  toward  the  cruel  despotism 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  177 

which  had  induced  such  a  sacrifice.  In  her  enthusiasm  she 
felt  that  she  would  like  to  be  a  member  of  this  order  and 
help  to  relieve  the  oppressed  and  down-trodden  from  the 
tyrant's  power. 

'•'  You  say  your  father  sympathizes  with  us — at  least  I 
understood  you  to  say  so  at  our  last  meeting  ?  "  asked  the 
old  man,  earnestly. 

As  before,  so  now,  she  noticed  that  his  frame  seemed 
really  to  expand  and  grow,  and  his  face  seemed  younger, 
when  speaking  upon  this  topic  of  the  national  interests  and 
the  Brotherhood. 

"I  know  he  has  always  had  a  warm  feeling  for  your 
country  and  the  oppressed  masses  there.  As  a  true  Ameri- 
can, he  holds  kings  and  emperors  as  worthless  figureheads, 
mere  relics  of  a  past  blind  worship  of  power,  and  belief  in 
ruling  by  divine  right,  instead  of  by  the  will  of  the  ruled." 

"  Expensive  relics  of  a  past  barbarism  indeed,  but,  worse 
than  relics,  they  are  engines  of  oppression  and  wrong,"  re- 
sponded the  young  man,  with  kindling  features.  "  If  every 
throne  in  Europe  were  by  the  universal  voice  declared 
vacant  to-morrow,  and  prompt  measures  taken  to  enforce 
the  sentiment ;  if  royalty  in  every  form  were  buried  with 
some  other  rubbish  which  we  have  inherited  from  the  past, 
so  deep  that  it  could  never  be  resurrected,  what  a  boon  it 
would  be  to  the  world."  Pausing  a  moment,  he  re- 
sumed :  "  Why  should  millions  and  tens  of  millions  of 
people  be  governed  by  the  arbitrary  will  of  one  man,  who 
has  no  more  rational  claim  to  exercise  such  authority  than 
that,  some  time  in  the  remote  past,  an  undeveloped  bar- 
barous, or  semi-barbarous,  people  chose  one  of  their  num- 
ber to  be  their  leader  because  he  was  more  strong  or  capa- 
ble than  the  others.  For  the  possession  of  special  personal 
qualities  he  was  elected  chief  or  king,  and  for  special  pur- 
poses, to  lead  in  war,  to  guide  in  council,  etc.  But  in  the 
name  of  the  beautiful  and  just,  why  should  his  descendants 
12 


178  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

have  any  claim  to  succeed  him  ?  The  father  elected  for  a 
special  qualification  thinks  that  his  son,  an  ordinary  in- 
dividual, without  any  peculiar  claim  to  attention,  a  mere 
nonentity,  it  may  be,  ought  to  succeed  him,  and  that  all  of 
his  lineage  are  to  be  henceforth  accounted  sacred  ;  and  the 
stupid,  unreasoning  people,  after  perhaps  an  unavailing 
protest,  agreed  to  the  outrage,  and  the  usurpation  became 
'  divine  '  by  custom  and  usage.  No  man  has  any  right  to 
be  a  leader  unless  he  has  the  special  qualities  of  leadership, 
and  these  in  excess  of  all  others,  and  such  leadership  to  be 
contingent  on  exemplary  conduct,  and  also  directly  sub- 
ject to  the  will  of  the  people  who  gave  him  the  power." 

Adolph  had  spoken  with  much  animation  and  natural 
eloquence,  but  he  suddenly  paused  and  seemed  greatly 
vexed  at  having  permitted  himself  to  be  thus  led  into  such 
vehement  expression  of  his  feelings.  "  Forgive  me,  but  I 
really  feel  so  deeply  on  this  point,  Miss  Hastings.  We  have 
suffered  ;  that  must  be  my  excuse.  I  have  said  too  much  ; 
will  you  forgive  me  ?  " 

And  the  contrition  of  the  speaker  was  so  genuine  that 
one  hearer  at  least  was  very  deeply  touched  by  it,  so  she 
said,  gently.  "  Mr.  Adolph,  if  you  knew  how  much  interest  I 
feel  in  these  matters  you  would  not  think  it  necessary  to 
make  an  apology.  I  like  to  hear  you  on  these  points,  and 
shall  be  glad  if  you  will  speak  freely  on  them." 

His  face  kindled  at  her  words  and  then  quickly  resumed 
its  wonted  condition  of  intelligent  repose.  It  was  a 
watching  face,  quiet  and  yet  never  dull  or  absent  in  ex- 
pression— the  eyes  especially,  deep  hazel,  ever  on  the  alerfc, 
seemed  to  drink  in  everything  that  came  within  their 
range — a  face  that  noticed  everything  without  at  all  being 
intrusive  or  inquisitive. 

"  My  daughter,  what  say  you  to  your  father  paying  us  a 
visit  ?  We  know  how  irksome  it  must  have  been  for  you, 
through  all  these  long  months,  keeping  your  knowledge  of 


THE   RUSSIAN    REFUGEE.  179 

us  from  your  good  parent,  and  so  we  have  decided  to  ex- 
tend our  invitation  to  him  to  come  and  see  us  in  our  hum- 
ble abode,  if  he  will  so  far  honor  us."  So  saying,  the  patri- 
arch took  her  hand  and  looking  at  her  a  moment  gravely, 
added,  "Will  he  come?" 

Elsie  was  so  glad  that  for  an  instant  she  did  not  speak, 
and  then  with  a  face  glowing  with  satisfaction  she  re- 
sponded :  "  Surely  he  will  come,  and  I  must  thank  you  cor- 
dially for  the  invitation.  Oh,  it  will  take  a  burden  off  my 
mind,  for  I  have  been  much  troubled  at  being  obliged  to 
keep  anything  from  so  good  a  father  as  mine  is." 

"  Will  your  father  object,  think  you,  my  child,  to  coming 
in  as  you  have  come,  with  blinded  sight,  to  our  under- 
ground home  ?  " 

"  I  am  sure  he  will  not,  if  it  is  necessary  ; "  and  then  as 
the  possibility  of  her  father  objecting  to  this  proceeding 
occurred  to  her,  "that  is,  I  do  not  think  he  will  when  I  have 
explained  to  him  the  necessity  for  it." 

"  You  must  be  told,  Miss  Hastings,  that  none  but  mem- 
bers of  the  order  are  permitted  to  enter  by  sight  into  our  ' 
council-rooms.  We  would,  on  your  father's,  as  well  as 
your  own  account,  that  it  were  not  so,  but  such  is  the  law, 
from  the  Grand  Synod  down  to  the  humblest  Circle,  govern- 
ing all,"  said  Adolph  by  way  of  explanation. 

"  So,  I  may  tell  my  father  everything  ;  and  when  shall  we 
come  to  see  you  ?  " 

"  Yes,  you  can  tell  him  all  you  know  of  us,  simply  ask- 
ing that  he  promise  you  not  to  reveal,  and  we  feel  quite 
safe  in  his  honor.  Come  when  you  please." 

Before  leaving,  Sophia  confided  to  the  young  lady  that 
Grandfather  was  giving  her  a  daily  lesson  in  English.  "  So 
I  can  do  some  talk  when  you  come  see  me,  and  he  say  he 
teach  me  write  English  too,"  said  the  little  maiden,  whose 
eyes  danced  merrily  at  the  thought  of  being  able  to  know 
all  that  was  said  when  her  friend  came. 


180  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

So  it  was  arranged  that  Elsie  was  to  notify  by  letter, 
through  Hiram's  agency,  when  the  residents  of  the  Hermit- 
age could  make  it  convenient  to  visit  them. 

On  the  way  home  Adolph  explained  to  Elsie  why  he  had 
not  appeared  during  her  detention  in  the  cave.  "  I  could 
not  bear  to  intrude  myself  upon  you,  as  if  I  had  earned  a 
right  to  your  acquaintance  by  the  simple  service  I  had  been 
privileged  to  render  you.  '  My  father  was  your  physician, 
so  it  was  different  with  him.  I  was  only  a  poor  Eussian 
and  had  no  right  to  intrude  on  the  society  of  a  young  lady 
like  Miss  Hastings  simply  because  accident  had  given  me 
an  opportunity."  This  was  uttered  with  some  personal 
pride,  which  could  not  escape  notice,  but  at  the  same  time 
with  a  simple  dignity  which  became  the  speaker  well. 

Elsie  replied,  earnestly  :  "  You  do  me  wrong  if  you  think 
I  should  have  regarded  your  presence  as  an  intrusion  for 
one  moment.  How  could  you  think  so  ?  " 

"Miss  Hastings,  I  cannot  forget  the  difference  in  our  so- 
cial positions.  Ordinarily,  as  things  go,  I  could  never  have 
hoped  to  become  acquainted  with  you.  I  had  seen  you 
scores  of  time,  but  never  dreamed  that  I  should  ever  be 
permitted  to  speak  with  you,  our  conditions  being  so  very 
different." 

She  made  a  motion  as  if  to  interrupt  him,  but  he  went 
on  doggedly,  as  if  making  a  confession  which  tried  him  to 
the  quick  :  "I  belong  to  an  ostracized  class,  having  no  rank 
or  social  position,  or  education,  I  may  add,  while  you  are 
wealthy,  talented,  highly  educated,  and  of  a  first-class 
family.  Can  you  wonder  that  I  shrank  from  the  task  of 
trying  to  clear  away  such  obstacles  to  your  acquaintance, 
simply  because  I  had  by  chance  found  a  key  that  would 
admit  me  to  your  presence  ?  " 

"  You  really  distress  me  by  talking  this  way.  If  you 
think  I  value  rank,  or  wealth,  or  social  position,  before 
courage  and  manliness  you  do  not  know  me.  My  father 


THE   EUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  181 

and  I,  believe  me,  have  our  own  views  on  these  points,  and 
they  are  not  those  of  the  world."  Then  trying  to  see  his  face, 
which  was  averted,  as  he  seemed  to  be  struggling  with  some 
deep  feeling  which  prevented  his  immediate  response,  she 
continued,  cheerfully  :  "  But  I  am  very  glad  you  took  a 
kinder  view  of  the  matter,  or  I  should  not  have  had  the 
pleasant  visit  I  have  so  much  enjoyed  to-day." 

"  Hiram's  absence  necessitated  someone  taking  his  place 
to  act  as  your  guide,  and  my  father's  express  command 
deprived  me  of  all  liberty  of  action  in  the  case.  Obedience 
is  the  foundation  law  of  our  order,  and  also  sacred  duty  in 
Russian  family  life." 

"  But  you  surely  do  not  mean  to  say  that  you  will  avoid 
my  presence  for  the  future  in  obedience  to  a  false  feeling  ? 
Surely  there  is  no  sacred  obligation  in  such  obedience  as 
that ! " 

Deeply  agitated,  he  answered  :  "  Such  was  my  intention, 
but  Miss  Hastings'  presence  and  kindness  this  day  have 
made  such  a  course  exceedingly  difficult,  and  yet  I  feel  it 
would  be  better  and  safer  that  I  should  so  absent  myself." 

"  Promise  me  that  you  will  meet  my  father  and  myself 
freely  until  you  know  us  better,  and  let  the  future  decide 
matters,"  laying  her  hand  upon  his  arm.  "You  saved  me 
twice  from  peril,  and  you  must  continue  to  be  my  friend, 
and  give  me  an  opportunity  to  show  you  I  am  not  ungrate- 
ful." 

The  touch  and  tone  conquered  him,  she  saw  by  the  light 
which  illuminated  his  countenance,  but  it  was  a  full  minute 
before  he  sufficiently  controlled  his  voice  to  speak,  and  then 
the  words  quivered  with  emotion.  "  Obedience  to  you  is 
easy  ;  nay,  disobedience  is  absolutely  impossible.  I  trem- 
ble while  I  promise,  but  I  cannot  refuse."  Then  his  mood 
suddenly  changing,  he  drew  himself  up  proudly,  "We  Rus- 
sians are  a  hardy  race,  and  are  taught  to  fear  nothing.  So 
there,  I  cast  my  gauntlet  to  the  future,  and  dare  the  Fates !  " 


182  THE  RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

So  saying,  he  dashed  his  heavy  mountain  staff  on  the 
ground,  and  stood  with  folded  arms  regarding  it  grimly. 
Then  picking  it  up  hastily,  he  turned  to  his  companion 
with  a  half-apologetic  smile,  saying,  " '  Scratch  a  Eussian 
and  you  find  a  Tartar,'  is  an  old  proverb,  and  I  fear  Miss 
Hastings  will  think  there  is  a  good  deal  of  the  Tartar  left 
in  me." 

She  looked  at  him  with  an  expression  difficult  to  define, 
half  surprise  and  half  admiration  ;  he  appeared  at  the  mo- 
ment so  strong  and  manly,  so  fitted  to  encounter  and  over- 
come obstacles.  "I  like  some  of  the  Tartar  traits,  their 
courage,  strength,  and  endurance  make  a  fine  basis  on  which 
to  rear  the  superstructure  of  a  noble  manhood." 

"  Thank  you,"  he  exclaimed,  impulsively  taking  her  hand, 
and  then  dropping  it  instantly.  "  Forgive  me,  I  forgot ;  but 
you  reconcile  me  to  myself.  I,  too,  would  build  such  a 
character — I,  too,  would  be  a  man." 

She  held  out  the  hand  so  abruptly  relinquished.  "  You 
are  a  man,  and  I  have  seen  your  courage,  strength,  and 
endurance  tested,"  she  returned  gently,  with  shining  eyes, 
looking  him  frankly  in  the  face. 

Eagerly  taking  the  proffered  hand  he  said  impressively, 
"  Then  you  will  help  me  to  build,  and  I  may  hope  to  be 
the  rest  ?  " 

Dropping  her  eyes  before  his  ardent  gaze  she  responded, 
sadly,  "Alas,  I  can  only  encourage  and  hint;  I  require 
constant  help  myself.  But,"  she  added  gayly,  "  '  Let  us 
help  one  another,'  as  one  of  the  old  songs  of  childhood 
used  to  say." 

So  saying  she  bade  him  "good-evening,"  for  her  home 
was  in  sight,  and  so  they  parted. 

Elsie  rushed  to  the  library  hoping  to  find  her  father 
there.  She  felt  indeed  as  if  a  burden  had  been  taken  from 
her  shoulders,  and  the  ground  become  elastic  to  her  tread. 
Mr.  Hastings  smiled  as  she  entered  and  kissed  him  fondly, 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  183 

first  on  one  cheek  and  then  on  the  other.  "  Oh,  father,  I 
have  had  such  a  delightful  day,  and  have  such  lots  to 
tell  you." 

"Indeed  you  look  radiant  enough  to  have  found  the 
philosopher's  stone,  Elsie." 

"  Something  better  than  the  old  philosopher's  pebble, 
which  if  he  had  found  would  have  been  some  poor  affair 
after  all.  No,  I  have  found  something  much  better  than 
that — some  good,  kind  friends — and  I  have  heard  you  say 
they  were  the  best  jewels  in  the  world." 

"  So  they  are.  A  true  friend  is  the  real  philosopher's 
stone,  for  it  is  friendship  that  gilds  life  and  illumines  the 
dark  places." 

"  Well,  I  suppose  I  must  dress  for  dinner,  and  after  dinner 
we  will  come  here,  and  I  will  tell  you  all  the  mysteries,  so 
that  you  will  know  your  daughter  once  more  as  you  used 
to,  and  good-by  to  all  secrets." 

Dinner  certainly  occupied  less  time  than  usual  that  day, 
for  one  of  the  diners  was  too  eager  to  tell,  and  the  other 
hardly  less  eager  to  hear,  the  story  which  would  unravel  the 
mystery  around  Elsie's  movements  during  the  past  six 
months. 

As  said  before,  Mr.  Hastings'  confidence  in  his  daughter 
was  implicit,  but  yet  he  had  felt  keenly  the  veil  of  reserve 
which  had  been  between  them  on  this  matter  since  Elsie's 
accident,  and  now  the  prospect  of  a  full  explanation  and 
clearing  up  of  all  the  obscurity  was  very  pleasant  to  him, 
so  that  he  fully  sympathized  with  her  impatience  to  finish 
dinner. 

"  Now,  you  best  of  fathers,  I  must  begin  at  the  begin- 
ning and  tell  everything  as  it  happened,"  said  the  young 
mistress  of  the  mansion,  as  she  arranged  her  father's  big 
chair  for  him,  and  then  seated  herself  in  a  low  arm-chair 
near. 

Graphically  she  related  her  experience  from  the  moment 


184  THE   KUSSIAN   EEFUGEE. 

when  she  opened  her  eyes  with  returning  consciousness  in 
the  cave,  and  as  she  proceeded  she  was  delighted  to  find 
the  listener  was  fully  as  much  interested  in  hearing  as  she 
in  telling.  She  reserved  nothing,  except  perhaps  her 
special  conversations  with  Adolph,  in  which,  she  naturally 
reasoned,  her  father  would  have  no  peculiar  interest. 

"  And  you  wiU  go  with  me,  father,  and  visit  the  cave  ? 
Oh,  it  is  wonderful,  and  I  know  you  would  say  it  was  a 
treat  to  go  there." 

"  Elsie,  what  a  girl  you  are,  to  be  sure.  Who  would  have 
dreamed  of  your  having  such  an  experience  ?  What  would 
Mrs.  St.  Johns  say  if  she  could  know  ? "  said  her  father, 
standing  up  and  putting  his  hands  on  her  shoulders.  "  To 
think  of  my  daughter  having  such  an  adventure  all  alone, 
and  among  Russian  Socialists — sanguinary  fellows,  with 
daggers  and  crosses,  and  red  circles  and  assassinations,  and 
I  don't  know  what  else.  I  believe  you  ought  to  have  been 
a  boy.  Well,  well,  well ! "  Here  he  walked  up  and  down 
the  room  laughing  heartily. 

"  But  they  are  the  nicest  people  in  the  world,  father,  and 
not  in  the  least  sanguinary  looking  or  acting." 

"Especially  Eudolphe,"  said  her  father,  meaningly. 

"  There  is  no  Kudolphe,"  she  retorted. 

"  Oh  no,  Adolph  ;  yes,  that  was  the  name,  was  it  not — a 
sort  of  Chevalier  Bayard,  sans  peur  et  sans  reproche  ;  eh, 
Elsie?" 

She  blushed  in  spite  of  herself,  but  answered  gayly  : 
"  Yes,  sir,  he  is,  and  you  would  say  so  too  if  you  saw  him  ; 
but  you  have  seen  him,  for  I  quite  forgot  to  say  that  it 
was  Mr.  Adolph  that  helped  us  out  of  the  fire  that  night  at 
the  court-house." 

"  What !  that  brave  young  man !  Is  it  possible?  Then  I 
shall  form  the  acquaintance  of  Mr.  Adolph  with  much 
pleasure.  I  should  like  to  thank  him." 

Mr.  Hastings,  after  hearing  his  daughter's  story  had  ex- 


THE  RUSSIAN  REFUGEE.  185 

perienced  some  internal  vexation  at  the  acquaintance  she 
had  apparently  formed  with  Adolph,  especially  when  in 
answer  to  his  question  she  informed  him  that  he  had  ac- 
companied her  home  from  the  cave.  It  was  that  natural 
shrinking  from  the  possibility  which  always  looms  up  in  the 
distance,  of  the  cherished  one  straying  into  other  pastures, 
and  leaving  the  home-circle  desolate.  To  one  situated  as 
Mr.  Hastings — a  widower  with  one  child,  and  that  a  daugh- 
ter, who  was  in  a  large  sense  his  life — the  mere  possibility,  be 
it  ever  so  remote,  of  parting  with  her  to  another  man,  even 
if  that  other  should  be  unexceptionable  and  the  chosen  of 
her  heart,  was  torture  to  contemplate.  And  now,  outside  of 
his  knowledge,  she  had  met,  in  more  or  less  intimate  associa- 
tion, one  who,  although  socially  living  in  a  totally  different 
sphere,  and  by  her  own  acknowledgment  of  very  limited 
education  and  of  a  different  race,  had  evidently  impressed 
her  profoundly. 

The  proprietor  of  the  Hermitage  was  not  in  the  ordinary 
sense  a  purse-proud  or  aristocratic  man.  On  the  con- 
trary, he  was  peculiarly  democratic  in  his  sentiments  and 
tastes  ;  but  he  had  some  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  aversion  to  for- 
eign blood,  and  although  he  despised  himself  for  the  feel- 
ing, yet  fight  against  it  as  he  would,  the  prejudice  would 
spring  up  strongly  every  now  and  again. 

Gratitude  was  a  prominent  virtue  in  him,  as  in  his  daugh- 
ter, and  as  it  is  indeed  in  all  noble  minds,  and  he  felt  under 
the  deepest  obligation  to  these  Eussians  for  what  they  had 
so  generously  and  bravely  done  for  his  child  ;  and  to  be  able 
to  reward  them  in  some  substantial  manner  would  have  de- 
lighted him,  but  somehow  he  shrunk  from  close  and  inti- 
mate association  with  them.  Yet  he  could  not  deny  to  him- 
self that  if  Adolph  was  not  there  to  complicate  matters  as 
the  strong,  brave,  manly  fellow  which  he  certainly  must  be, 
or  if  he  was  the  husband  of  Nadia,  or  transformed  somehow, 
he  would  enjoy  meeting  these  exiles — could  sympathize 


186  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

heartily  with  them,  and  no  thought  of  social  position  or 
foreign  blood  would  enter  his  mind  for  a  moment.  But 
after  a  brief  struggle  with  himself,  his  better  nature  gained 
the  ascendency,  and  he  wisely  resolved  not  to  meet  troubles 
prematurely,  but  trust  the  future  and  the  strong  common- 
sense  of  his  Elsie. 

"  We  indeed  are  under  infinite  obligations  to  these  Rus- 
sians, and  I  shall  be  impatient  until  I  form  their  acquaint- 
ance," he  remarked  cheerfully  to  his  daughter,  some  time 
after  the  disclosure.  "I  am  greatly  relieved  to  find  matters 
have  been  so  simple  and  straightforward,  although  it  is 
remarkable  that  such  people  under  such  peculiar  circum- 
stances could  have  existed  in  our  very  midst,  and  no  one 
know  anything  about  it,  and  more  strange  still  that  my 
daughter  should  be  the  instrument  of  bringing  them  to 
light." 

"  Not  exactly  bringing  them  to  light,  father ;  for  the 
matter  remains  sacred  between  us  two  until  such  time  as  it 
may  be  publicly  known  without  prejudice  to  the  safety  of 
these  friends." 

"  Certainly,  it  is  sacred  with  me,  although  I  do  not  think 
there  is  the  slightest  danger  after  the  lapse  of  so  many 
years.  Still  it  is,  of  course,  best  to  be  on  the  safe  side." 

"  Father,  suppose  we  go  next  Wednesday  ;  we  have  noth- 
ing especial  on  hand  for  that  day,  and  the  Thompsons  and 
cousin  Warren  may  return  at  the  end  of  next  week,  so  we 
ought  to  go  before  they  come.  If  you  say  so,  I  will  leave 
word  with  Gretchen  for  next  Wednesday." 

"And  must  we  be  blindfolded  to  be  admitted — I  really 
don't  like  the  idea  of  that  ? "  asked  her  father,  with  some 
shrinking  from  that  part  of  the  proceeding. 

"  Of  course,  father.  Why,  there's  nothing  in  that ;  I  told 
you  that  the  Patriarch  said  that  no  one  not  a  member  of  the 
order  could  be  admitted  any  other  way." 

"  Oh,  well,  I  must  not  mind  if  you  do  not.     But  Hiram 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  187 

must  be  a  member  of  the  order,  then.  The  sly  fellow,  how 
quiet  he  has  kept  things !  Well,  Elsie,  say  Wednesday,  then. 
I  am  in  your  hands  in  this  matter,  my  dear  ;  do  with  me  as 
you  please." 

That  afternoon  Elsie  rode  over  to  the  trapper's  cottage, 
and  Gyp  seemed  to  enjoy  the  trip  as  much  as  she  did.  It  was 
a  splendid  black  animal  with  a  perfect  head,  and  had  been 
specially  trained  for  her  use.  She  found  the  good  Dutch 
woman  at  home,  as  indeed  she  always  was,  except  a  very 
occasional  visit  to  the  Hermitage,  or  her  sister's  in  Melville. 

"  Ach,  mine  Gott !  an  Mese  Hastings  come  to  see  Gretchen. 
Und  how  is  Mese  Elsie  dis  raorgan  ?  I  shoost  was  tinking 
mit  you,  and  here  you  be  come  already." 

Elsie  followed  the  bustling  little  woman  into  the  cottage, 
which  was  almost  covered  with  the  varied  creeping  plants 
which  the  industrious  Teuton  had  carefully  trained  up  the 
stone  walls. 

"  Why,  Gretchen,  your  cottage  looks  beautiful,  and  when 
these  flowers  come  out  later  in  the  season  it  will  be  the 
prettiest  place  around." 

Gretchen  was  delighted  with  this  praise  ;  for  she  was  very 
proud  of  her  little  home,  which  indeed  was  admirably  kept, 
and  as  neat  inside  as  it  was  attractive  out. 

"  Mese  Elsie,  Hans  mein  boy  was  to  see  his  old  mudder 
last  nacht,  und  he  is  one  fine  feller,  und  he  no  treat  any 
more.  Yar  yar,  Meester  Hastings,  he  know  how  to  fix  mit 
Hans  ;  "  and  the  fat,  good-humored  mother  of  Hans  laughed 
until  the  tears  rolled  down  her  plump  cheeks. 

Elsie  was  rather  puzzled  to  know  how  to  communicate 
her  message  to  the  jovial  woman  so  as  to  not  excite  awk- 
ward questions  ;  for  she  was  well  aware  that  Gretchen  was 
credited  with  having  no  inconsiderable  share  of  that  curi- 
osity which  is  said  to  be  characteristic  of  a  part  of  the  race. 
But  she  reasoned  that  in  the  nature  of  things,  and  judging 
by  the  familiar  way  in  which  the  cave-dwellers  spoke  of 


188  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

her,  the  worthy  cottager  must  know  a  good  deal  about 
matters,  and  probably  knew  the  inmates  of  the  underground 
residence. 

"  Gretchen,  I  have  a  letter  which  I  was  asked  to  leave 
with  you.  It  is  for  the  gentleman  who  wrote  the  one  you 
brought  me  on  Monday." 

Gretchen  glanced  up  with  a  comical  intelligence,  and 
laughed  again  merrily.  "Ach,  yes,  it's  for  the  old,  old 
man.  All  goot,  he  have  it  soon.  Meester  Adolph  he  say 
he  call  mit  some  rabbits  for  me  dis  very  day.  You  know 
Meester  Adolph.  One  fine  man,  one  very  goot  man ;  a 
fine  feller,  Meester  Adolph — yet." 

Elsie  felt  her  cheeks  burn  at  the  thought  of  his  finding 
her  here.  It  would  be  a  little  awkward,  certainly.  She 
must  hasten  her  departure.  But  just  then  a  step  was  heard 
outside,  and  a  knock  at  the  door. 

"  Coome  in  ; "  and  in  response  to  Gretchen's  words  the 
door  was  opened,  and  a  robust  form  clad  in  a  hunting-suit, 
and  carrying  a  pair  of  rabbits  in  his  right  hand,  entered  the 
room. 

"  I  had  the  good  fortune,  Gretchen,  to  find  these  in  my 
new  trap ; "  and  then  catching  sight  of  the  young  lady,  the 
speaker  starting  violently  removed  his  cap  abruptly,  and 
stammered  out  an  apology  :  "  O  Miss  Hastings,  forgive  me ! 
I  did  not  know  you  were  here." 

"I  just  came  over  to  see  Gretchen  and  leave  a  note," 
Elsie  said  pleasantly,  rising  and  holding  out  her  hand 
frankly.  "  I  am  sure  Gretchen  will  be  glad  to  have  such  a 
nice  present." 

Taking  her  hand  gratefully  the  huntsman  seated  himself, 
and  soon  the  three  were  carrying  on  an  animated  conversa- 
tion. 

Gretchen  at  once  handed  the  last  comer  the  letter  which 
Elsie  had  given  her,  and  this  action  at  once  removed  any 
restraint,  as  showing  that  the  trapper's  wife  was  one  of  the 


THE  RUSSIAN  KEFUGEE.  189 

knowing  ones,  and  the  conversation  gradually  drifted  to 
the  cave  and  its  inhabitants. 

Gretchen  mentioned  them  all  by  name,  but  Elsie  could 
not  decide  whether  she  had  ever  been  in  the  secret  home  or 
not,  and  so  was  somewhat  guarded  in  her  utterances,  but 
she  soon  noticed  that  Adolph  preserved  no  such  reticence. 

"  Gretchen  is  our  very  faithful  friend  and  knows  us  all," 
he  said,  in  answer  to  Elsie's  look  of  caution  at  one  of  his 
remarks;  "don't  you,  Gretchen?" 

"Yah,  yah,  und  Sophia  is  mein  own  child — mein  own 
leetle  one,"  giving  sundry  hints  that  when  that  young 
maiden  entered  cave  life,  some  fourteen  years  before,  that 
she  had  been  present  and  acted  the  part  of  "  wise  woman  " 
on  the  occasion. 

"  The  letter  is  addressed  to  '  my  friend  in  the  cave,'  and 
I  need  hardly  ask  who  it  is  for,  and  so  must  not  open  it,  yet 
I  would  fain  claim  that  title  too  ;  perhaps  you  will  teach  me 
how  ?  "  the  huntsman  said,  gently,  regarding  her  wistfully. 

"  Oh,  how  can  you  talk  so.  I  thought  Russians  were  al- 
ways frank  and  candid.  You  know  that  I  esteem  you  as  a 
friend  who  has  proved  to  be  a  friend  indeed." 

Again  that  look  of  distress  which  she  had  noticed  before 
whenever  she  alluded  to  her  obligation  to  him. 

"  I  am  sure  Miss  Hastings  would  not  willingly  wound 
anyone,  but  she  does  hurt  me  when  she  speaks  of  obliga- 
tion to  me." 

"  Then  I  will  call  you  my  friend,  if  you  will  let  me,  and 
not  allude  to  your  kind  deeds  as  proving  friendship." 

"  I  shall  be  so  grateful  if  you  will  try  and  forget." 

"  No,  I  shall  never  forget,  but  I  will  try  to  avoid  put- 
ting the  memory  in  words.  But  about  the  letter ;  you  may 
as  well  read  it." 

"I  would  rather  you  would  tell  me  the  contents — I  mean 
the  inside,"  hesitating  as  if  a  little  doubtful  of  the  other 
word  ;  "  but,"  he  added,  nervously,  as  if  fearful  she  might 


190  THE   RUSSIAN   EEFUGEE. 

misconstrue  his  meaning,  "  I  can  read  in  English  well,  al- 
though not  such  a  scholar  as  my  father  is  in  this  fine,  strong 
language." 

So  Elsie  told  him  what  she  had  written,  and  he  seemed 
greatly  pleased  that  she  and  her  father  had  decided  to  visit 
the  cave  so  soon. 

"  I  must  be  going,"  said  Elsie,  rising,  after  a  few  more 
moments  of  conversation  in  relation  to  the  proposed  visit 
of  the  coming  week. 

"May  I  accompany  you  to  the  cross-roads,  that  is,  if  you 
do  not  desire  to  ride  fast  ?" 

"  Certainly,  if  you  are  going  that  way,"  returned  Elsie,  as 
he  assisted  her  to  mount. 

"  Good-by,  Gretchen.  I  hope  Hiram  will  soon  be  home, 
for  you  must  be  pretty  lonely  out  here  by  yourself." 

"Ach,  dat  Hiram,  he  forgot  Gretchen,  and  tooken  mit 
anoder  voman,"  laughed  the  jovial  creature.  "  Yah,  yah, 
und  den  he  get  one  frau  long  so  big,"  holding  her  hand  as 
high  as  she  could,  "  und  she  step  long,  und  Hiram  he  feel 
goot.  He  say,  mein  Giraffe,  '  Gretchen  no  walk  mit  him 
one  bit ; '  yah,  he  get  anoder  frau  already." 

"  No,  indeed,  Gretchen  ;  no  one  could  suit  him  as  well 
as  you,  and  tell  him  I  said  so,"  rejoined  Elsie,  as  she  rode 
off,  leaving  the  happy-looking  woman  standing  amid  her 
flowers,  the  very  picture  of  content. 

The  vigorous  mountaineer  strode  alongside,  easily  keep- 
ing pace  with  the  active  Gyp,  who  rather  chafed  at  being 
restrained  to  a  walk  instead  of  being  allowed  his  own  gait, 
which  his  young  mistress,  as  a  rule,  freely  accorded  to  him. 

"  I  greatly  fear,  Miss  Hastings,  that  I  must  at  times,  on 
account  of  my  ignorance  of  society  rules  and  usages,  appear 
coarse  and  rude  to  you,  which  gives  me  much  vexation.  I 
am  glad  of  an  opportunity  to  mention  this  so  that  you  may 
not  misjudge  me  and  think  I  am  intentionally  careless." 

"  You  have  never  been  either  rude  or   careless  since  I 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  191 

have  known  you,  Mr.  Adolph,  and,  I  assure  you,  that  it  will 
please  me  much  more  if  you  will  act  out  your  natural  im- 
pulses and  trust  me  frankly.  I  believe  you  to  be  a  gen- 
tleman who  can  trust  his  instincts  for  the  right,  so  prom- 
ise me  that  you  will  dismiss  such  thoughts  forever.  My 
father  and  I  shall  like  you  much  better  if  you  are  simply 
yourself.  Ordinary  society  men  I  despise,  and  I  am  glad 
you  are  not  one." 

She  felt  rather  flushed  at  making  such  a  long  speech  to 
him,  but  she  had  observed  with  concern  the  peculiar  dif- 
fidence which  this  strong,  natural  man,  whose  bearing  was 
really  winning  and  courteous  because  it  was  the  outcome 
of  a  sympathetic  and  generous  nature,  manifested  in  her 
presence,  and  his  words  now  gave  her  the  clew  to  this  con- 
dition. Her  reply  seemed  to  inspire  him. 

"You,  indeed,  are  kind  so  to  encourage  me.  How  I  re- 
gret my  limited  social  opportunities  and  my  inferior  edu- 
cation, but  my  life  has  been  a  very  singular  one.  Society 
I  could  not  have,  on  account  of  my  father's  forced  conceal- 
ment, without  attracting  an  attention  which  might  have 
been  awkward,  and  arousing  a  curiosity  which  might  have 
imperilled  those  nearest  and  dearest  to  me.  So  I  have  had 
to  satisfy  myself  from  the  dawn  of  manhood  with  such 
pleasures  as  hunting  and  the  study  of  nature  afforded  me." 

She  listened  closely,  and  her  face  told  him  how  keenly 
she  appreciated  what  he  said,  and  sympathized  with  the 
difficulties  of  his  lot.  At  times  words  seem  impertinent 
and  out  of  place,  and  he  so  thoroughly  understood  all  that 
she  meant,  that  verbal  expression  was  not  asked  or  ex- 
pected. 

"  I  have  determined  to  break  these  bonds  which  so  cur- 
tail my  liberty  and  keep  me  tied  to  the  clod,  when  I  would 
fain  soar  to  the  altitudes  which  it  seems  to  me  must  ever 
beckon  the  earnest  spirit.  I  am  a  Russian  by  race,  it  is 
true,  but  by  long  residence,  by  sympathy,  and  by  the  other 


192  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

ten  thousand  influences  which  breathe  in  the  air,  glisten  in 
the  light,  and  spring  up  from  the  very  soil  I  tread,  as  well 
as  those  wafted  in  to  me  from  republican  institutions,  I  am 
an  American,  heart  and  soul  an  American." 

She  spoke  now,  and  eagerly,  for  his  last  words  thrilled 
and  stimulated  her  into  speech. 

"  How  glad  I  am  to  hear  you  say  that.  It  would  seem  to 
me  as  if  anyone  escaping  the  limitations  and  crushing  disa- 
bilities of  the  Old  World,  must  indeed  be  like  a  bird  escaped 
from  prison.  Your  dear  father,  whom  I  can  never  thank 
enough  for  his  unremitting  kindness  to  me,  is,  too,  an 
American  at  heart,  though  still  bound  by  strong  ties  to  his 
native  land." 

"He  is,  as  you  say,  an  American  at  heart,  but  not  in 
the  sense  that  I  am,  who  have  grown  up  amid  her  institu- 
tions, although  debarred  from  deriving  full  benefit  from 
them.  But  do  not  suppose,"  and  here  he  spoke  eagerly, 
"that  I  am  in  any  sense  less  a  Russian  patriot.  No,  I 
love  the  land  of  my  fathers,  but  I  despise  her  government 
and  institutions.  But  a  better  day  will  soon  dawn,  and 
Columbia  will  be  able,  in  a  not  remote  future,  to  salute  a 
sister  Republic,  purged  and  purified  from  the  hideous  evils 
which  now  infest  the  body  politic,  moving  forward  in  the 
pathway  of  progress  under  a  Russian  flag." 

His  face  shone  as  if  with  the  light  of  prophecy,  and  he 
looked  eastward  as  if  he  already  saw  the  star  of  promise 
rising  above  the  horizon. 

"  A  glorious  hope,"  rejoined  bis  companion  ;  "  and  if  all 
her  sons  had  your  faith  and  your  ardent  love  of  liberty, 
Russia  might  have  the  dream  realized  in  a  month." 

"  Here  are  the  cross-roads,  and  I  suppose  we  must  part. 
Thank  you  for  this  interview.  Do  you  know,"  and  here  his 
voice  became  so  low  as  to  be  just  audible,  "  that  every 
Russian  at  birth  is  supposed  to  have  an  angel  or  good 
spirit  appointed  to  watch  over  and  direct  him  ?  I  often 


THE    EUSSJAN   REFUGEE.  193 

think  tins  must  have  been  forgotten  when  I  reached  earth, 
or  else  the  sweet  spirit  forsook  me  soon  afterward  in  de- 
spair. Will  you  be  my  angel,  and  guide  and  inspire  me  to 
better  things,  so  that  I  can  move  upward  and  forward  in- 
stead of  downward  and  backward  ?  " 

His  tone  was  half  jocular,  but  the  pleading,  almost  ap- 
pealing, look  in  the  eyes  showed  how  intense  was  the  feel- 
ing which  had  inspired  the  request. 

"Your  good  angel  has  never  forsaken  you  ;  it  is  treason 
to  her  to  speak  so."  But  seeing  that  same  look  demanding 
a  different  answer,  she  continued :  "I  sadly  need  a  good 
angel  myself,  and  could  hardly  be  such  to  you  or  anyone, 
but  I  will  promise  as  far  as  possible  to  try  and  arouse  your 
angel  when  she  seems  to  slumber." 

"  Then  henceforth  she  will  wear  your  form  and  be  in- 
spired with  your  spirit,  and  so  my  sun  wih1  always  be  in 
the  heavens.  Adieu  !  "  and,  dropping  his  hand  from  Gyp's 
silky  mane,  he  raised  his  cap  and  stepped  aside,  as  the  steed 
sprang  joyfully  forward  at  a  canter. 

Elsie's  thoughts  were  in  rather  a  tangled  state  as  she 
speeded  along  the  highway.  She  was  not  quite  sure  that 
she  had  fully  understood  this  interesting  foreigner,  and 
uncertain  as  to  the  sense  in  which  he  understood  her  an- 
swer. Visions  of  Mrs.  St.  Johns'  reproving  face  came  before 
and  framed  themselves  in  the  shrubbery  on  either  side  of 
the  avenue  as  she  rode  up  to  the  house,  and  she  almost 
fancied  she  could  hear  the  "  How  incautious,  how  very  in- 
cautious, my  dear,"  as  coming  from  the  fashionable  dame. 
13 


CHAPTEE  XVI. 

"A  MAN'S  A   MAN   FOR  A'  THAT." 

Do  coming  events  cast  their  shadows  before,  and  does  a 
subtle  influence  from  the  unseen  come  to  us  to  warn  of 
their  neighborhood  ? 

Elsie  started  with  almost  superstitious  dread,  when,  on 
reining  sharply  up  at  the  platform,  Mrs.  St.  Johns  stood 
before  her.  She  at  first  doubted  her  vision,  but  the  voice 
dissipated  all  doubts. 

"My  darling  Elsie,  how  charming  you  do  look.  Roland, 
help  Miss  Hastings  to  dismount."  • 

That  young  man  did  not  require  the  hint,  for  he  had 
sprung  forward  with  eagerness  as  soon  as  the  horse 
stopped. 

Fond  of  her  friends  as  she  was,  and  hospitable  in  all  her 
instincts,  yet  the  young  mistress  of  the  mansion  could  not 
repress  a  feeling  akin  to  annoyance  at  finding  the  new 
guests.  The  thought  of  the  engagement  she  had  just  made 
for  the  visit  to  the  cave  with  her  father,  and  the  possibility 
that  it  might  be  interfered  with  by  the  new  arrivals,  vexed 
her  for  the  moment  exceedingly ;  so  much  so,  indeed, 
that  she  found  it  difficult  to  respond  with  her  usual  warmth 
to  the  greeting  of  the  city  lady  and  her  young  people.  Her 
father,  who  came  out  a  moment  later,  half  suspecting  the 
possibility  of  this  feeling  on  the  part  of  his  daughter,  and 
knowing  how  her  heart  was  set  upon  the  Wednesday  trip, 
took  an  early  opportunity  of  whispering  to  her  :  "  We  will 
manage  things  somehow,  don't  be  discouraged." 


THE   EUSSIAN   EEFUGEE.  195 

These  words  helped  her  to  throw  off  the  temporary  de- 
pression, and  her  usual  cordiality  at  once  returned. 

"I  did  not  give  you  any  warning,  my  dear,  although 
Kuskin  urged  me  to,  for  I  told  him  that  in  the  country, 
people  are  never  put  out  by  guests — so  different  from  the 
city,  you  know." 

"  City  or  country,  mamma,"  said  Alfariua,  "  it  is  no  light 
matter  to  have  a  regiment  quartered  on  you  without  pre- 
vious notice." 

"  Where  did  you  pick  up  such  horrid  military  terms," 
said  the  languid  Angelina,  looking  amazed  that  anyone 
should  compare  the  St.  Johns  family  to  a  regiment,  while 
her  mother  regarded  her  younger  daughter  with  well-bred 
surprise. 

Elsie  hastened  to  say  :  "It  was  not  really  necessary,  Alf, 
to  send  us  notice,  for  we  have  a  large  house,  and  are  always 
ready  and  glad  to  receive  our  friends." 

"There,  Alfarina,  that  is  a  complete  refutation  of  your 
opinion,  and  a  fitting  answer  to  your,  I  must  say,  rather 
coarse  remark,"  Roland  took  the  opportunity  to  pay  off 
some  old  scores  by  remarking. 

The  young  woman  who  had  thus  inadvertently  or  de- 
signedly incurred  so  much  censure,  merely  gave  her  brother 
a  look  which  plainly  said,  "I'll  settle  with  you,  sir,  for  this 
some  other  time,"  and  he  well  knew  that  she  would. 

Eoland  asked  Elsie  if  she  had  been  gardening,  and  on 
receiving  a  reply  in  the  affirmative,  begged  her  to  allow  him 
to  see  her  garden.  She  cheerfully  agreed,  and  asked  if  his 
sisters  would  not  like  to  go  too.  Alf  at  once  rose  with  a 
pleased  "  Oh,  yes,  I  should  indeed,"  but  a  warning  look  in 
her  mother's  eyes  induced  her  to  resume  her  seat. 

"  I  had  rather  they  would  not  go  out  in  the  sun  at  this 
time  of  day,  especially  after  travelling."  So  Koland  and 
the  young  hostess  went  alone.  As  it  was  almost  sundown, 
Elsie  could  not  understand  the  objection  to  the  Misses  St. 


196  THE   RUSSIAN   KEFUGEE. 

Johns  going  out,  but  the  astute  mother  had  plans  of  her 
own  to  forward,  and  her  daughters  remained  in  the  house. 

"  Why,  mamma,"  said  Alf,  reproachfully,  when 'the  others 
were  gone,  "  how  could  you  say  you  didn't  want  us  to  go 
out  at  this  time  of  day,  when  it  is  sunset  and  the  most 
pleasant  time  of  the  day  ?  " 

"  Because,  Alf,  I  wish  your  brother  and  Elsie  to  become 
better  acquainted  with  each  other  ;  and  I  hope  you  will  see 
the  wisdom  of  this,  and  so  give  them  opportunity.  I  wish 
Elsie  had  a  little  more  city  polish,  but  she  is  an  admirable 
young  lady,  and  will  have  a  most  excellent  influence  over 
Roland.  And  this  is  one  of  the  finest  properties  in  the 
country,"  she  added,  significantly. 

"  Whew  !  "  said  the  incorrigible  Alf.  "  A  match-making 
mamma.  Now  I  understand  it,"  and  the  young  lady  buried 
her  face  in  her  handkerchief  to  hide  her  merriment. 

"  Alf,  if  you  cannot  control  this  unseemly  mirth  and  re- 
strain yourself  from  such  uncalled-for  and  rude  remarks, 
you  had  better  retire  to  your  room.  In  fact,  I  shall  peremp- 
torily insist  upon  it,  if  I  hear  any  more  language  like  that." 

Mrs.  St.  Johns,  although  rather  affected  and  even  frivolous, 
as  might  be  expected  from  such  a  devotee  of  fashion,  never- 
theless had  in  her  own  way  a  great  deal  of  latent  deter- 
mination, and  her  family,  including  her  husband,  knew 
that  when  mamma  had  decided  upon  anything,  she  would 
accomplish  it  if  possible,  and  so  all  had  gradually  learned 
to  accept  her  ultimatum  and  submit  to  her  wishes.  Alf 
was  the  only  one  who  ever  offered  any  serious  show  of  resis- 
tance, for  her  native  honesty  repudiated  and  rebelled  against 
many  of  the  subterfuges  and  wirepullings  which  she  saw 
so  common  in  the  world  of  fashion,  and  which  her  politic 
mother  had  not  the  slightest  scruple  in  resorting  to,  to  gain 
certain  desired  ends.  Naturally,  the  younger  daughter, 
under  similar  training  would  have  developed  a  character 
somewhat  like  Elsie's,  for  whose  frankness  and  honesty  she 


THE   KUSSIAN   EEFUGEE.  197 

had  a  profound  admiration.  Somewhat  like,  we  say,  but -yet 
lacking  Miss  Hastings's  earnestness  and  strength  ;  for  Alf, 
although  quick  and  alert  to  perceive  inconsistency  and 
deviations  from  the  strict  path  of  candor  and  rectitude,  yet 
lacked  persistence  to  carry  out  her  best  impulses  and  to 
persevere  against  popular  wrongs.  Whereas  Elsie  had  the 
spirit  of  a  mediaeval  martyr,  and  would  have  only  gained 
strength  from  opposition. 

Alf  St.  Johns  was  sincerely  attached  to  her  brother,  al- 
though she  lashed  him  so  often  by  her  sarcasm,  and  nothing 
would  have  pleased  her  better  than  to  have  seen  the  young 
exquisite  \inited  to  her  friend  of  the  Hermitage  ;  but  her 
sense  of  the  incongruousness  of  such  a  union  was  too 
much  for  any  other  feeling  to  gain  the  ascendency. 

"  Why,  the  very  idea  of  such  a  noble,  straightforward,  sin- 
cere girl  as  Elsie  marrying  such  a  tailor-made  specimen  of 
humanity  as  Roland,  is  simply  absurd.  Madam  mamma 
won't  find  she  is  so  omnipotent  as  she  thinks,"  she  exclaimed 
to  her  sister  when  they  were  alone. 

"  For  shame,  Alf,  to  talk  of  your  brother  so.  I  am  sure 
there  are  very  few  young  men  can  compare  with  Roland  in 
society.  The  only  thing  that  surprises  me  is  that  he  can 
fancy  such  a  girl  as  Elsie — so  unfashionable,  so  mannish 
in  her  ways  and  manners.  Very  few  gentlemen,  and  Rol- 
and is  a  gentleman,  would  care  for  a  country  girl  to  preside 
over  their  establishment." 

"  Pretty  good,  Angy.  But  he  would  be  a  lucky  fellow  if 
he  could  get  her,  and  he  knows  it  too.  Why,  she  would  be 
the  making  of  him.  But  there's  no  fear,  Elsie  will  look  for 
very  different  game." 

"  Slang  again  !  I  really  wish  you  would  not  use  such  ex- 
pressions. I  cannot  tell  where  you  picked  them  up  !  "  said 
the  elder  sister,  who  in  the  mother's  absence  thought  it  her 
duty  to  act  as  mentor  to  her  junior. 

"  It's  not  slang — my,  how  particular  you  are.     I  heard 


198  THE  RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

father  use  that  very  expression  last  week,"  returned  Alf, 
•who,  while  somewhat  in  awe  of  her  mother,  never  hesitated 
to  hold  her  own  against  her  sister  or  brother. 

The  young  man  soon  showed  that  his  thoughts  were  not 
especially  running  on  flowers,  for  when  fairly  out  of  the 
house  he  asked  his  companion,  "  Miss  Elsie,  how  do  the 
sprained  ankle  acquaintances  get  on.  When  did  you  see 
them  last  ?  " 

This  was  uttered  in  a  matter-of-fact,  careless  way,  but 
Elsie  noticed  that  the  eager  curiosity  in  her  companion's 
face  did  not  quite  consort  with  the  tone  of  indifference. 
She  suspected  that  Eoland  had  heard  something,  or  sus- 
pected something,  and  was  trying  to  entrap  her  into  admis- 
sions, and  so  she  answered  guardedly. 

"Indeed,  my  ankle  has  grown  so  strong  again  that  I  al- 
most forget  the  accident  sometimes,  but  so  far  as  I  know, 
the  people  you  refer  to  are  well." 

"  So  far  as  you  know  !  Why,  I'll  venture  my  riding-whip, 
and  you  know  it's  a  very  nobby  one,  against  a  pair  of  gloves, 
that  you  have  been  to  see  these  persons  a  dozen  times,  at 
least,  since  I  saw  you  last.  Oh,  you  sly  one  ! "  and  the 
young  gentleman  held  up  his  left  hand  and  shook  it  re- 
proachfully at  his  companion. 

That  white  hand  with  the  handsome  ring,  how  well  it 
looked,  thought  the  owner ;  but  Elsie  could  not  help  think- 
ing how  different  the  shapely  member  looked  from  the 
strong,  brown,  manly  hand  which  had  held  her  bridle- 
rein  an  hour  or  so  before. 

"  A  dozen  times !  what  a  statement ;  why,  you  must  think 
I  have  nothing  whatever  to  do  but  ride  about  the  coun- 
try." 

"No,  but  it  is  pretty  hard  to  keep  a  fellow  in  suspense 
so  long.  Come  now,  Elsie,  be  frank  with  an  old  friend, 
and  tell  me  all  about  it.  I  promise  you,  on  my  honor,  I 
won't  tell  a  soul  without  your  permission.  It  mightn't  be 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  199 

prudent  to  tell  mother  or  the  girls,  for  women  will  talk ; 
but  it's  quite  different  with  me.  Just  tell  me  all  about  it 
now,  won't  you  ?  " 

Here  Roland  put  on  his  most  fascinating  and  irresistible 
expression,  which  he  firmly  believed  no  woman,  at  least 
no  city  girl,  could  resist.  But  Elsie  wasn't  a  city  girl,  and 
she  only  laughed  in  a  provoking  way. 

"  So  you  think  women  will  talk,  do  you  ?  I  wonder  what 
Alf  would  say  to  that.  Well,  there  must  be  an  exception 
to  prove  your  rule,  so  I'll  be  that  exception  and  not  talk — 
about  that  subject.  How  do  you  like  my  flowers  ?  " 

At  the  allusion  to  Alf,  Eoland  looked  rather  alarmed, 
and  instead  of  answering  the  last  query,  he  pleaded  earn- 
estly. "  Don't  you  tell  Alf  what  I  said  ;  and  I  didn't  mean 
you  anyway,  you  are  so  different  from  other  women,  have 
more  sense,  and  I  can  always  depend  on  what  you  say,"  and 
here  the  exquisite  looked  quite  manly  as  he  bent  on  his 
companion  a  look  of  ardent  admiration. 

"  Now,  you  know  I  think  the  world  of  you,  Elsie." 

It  was  only  on  rare  occasions,  when  alone,  that  the 
young  gentleman  called  her  by  her  first  name,  although  the 
families  had  been  so  intimate  for  years  that  he  was  quite 
justified  in  doing  so,  as  she  very  often  called  him  Roland  ; 
but  his  fastidious  notions  never  allowed  him  to  do  this  in 
public,  or  when,  indeed,  anyone  else  was  present.  "  It  was 
not  in  good  form,"  to  use  his  expression,  "  too  much  like 
those  country  fellows,  you  know." 

"I  am  very  glad  you  have  such  a  good  opinion  of  me, 
Roland,"  said  Elsie,  simply.  "  I  hope  I  shall  always  deserve 
it,  but  if  you  are  tired  of  the  flowers,  suppose  we  return 
to  the  house." 

"  Oh,  do  stay  a  little  longer  ;  it  is  more  pleasant  out 
here." 

"I  think  we  had  better  go  in,  as  I  am  hostess,  you  re- 
member, and  must  see  to  the  comfort  of  my  guests." 


200  THE  EUSSIAN   EEFUGEE. 

"  Certainly,  but  it  is  provoking  that  you  cannot  stay  out 
a  while  longer  ;  it  is  so  awfully  jolly  out  here  this  evening, 
and  I  have  so  many  things  to  talk  with  you  about." 

But  in  they  went,  and  found  the  ladies  had  retired  to 
dress  for  dinner,  which  was  almost  ready.  Elsie  met  her 
father  for  a  minute  in  the  library  before  the  guests  came 
down,  and.  immediately  spoke  on  the  subject  most  interest- 
ing to  her  at  the  time. 

"  Oh,  father,  how  provoking,  and  I  have  made  all  the  ar- 
rangements for  Wednesday.  What  shall  we  do  ?  " 

"  It  could  be  postponed,  I  suppose — I  mean  the  visit  to 
the  cave — if  absolutely  necessary  ;  but  some  plan  may  occur 
to  me  whereby  we  can  carry  out  our  design  without  infring- 
ing on  the  laws  of  hospitality." 

At  dinner  Mrs.  St.  Johns  arranged  that  her  son  should 
sit  at  Elsie's  right  hand,  and,  acting  under  previous  instruc- 
tions, he  plied  her  with  attentions.  The  hour  passed  quite 
pleasantly,  for  the  matron  was  an  excellent  conversationalist 
when  she  pleased,  and  the  host  fully  seconded  her  efforts 
in  this  direction. 

"I  am  so  glad  to  know  that  your  cousin  Warren  is  back, 
and,  I  understand,  is  quite  smitten  with  one  of  those  Eng- 
lish girls  ;  at  least  a  friend  who  saw  them  at  Niagara  told 
rne  that  Warren  was  acting  quite  lover-like,"  said  Mrs.  St. 
Johns,  at  the  same  time  watching  Elsie's  face  keenly. 

"  The  family  were  very  kind  to  Warren  in  England,  and 
I  am  glad  he  is  travelling  with  them.  I  think  it  must  be 
a  little  awkward  for  strangers  travelling  in  this  country  at 
first,  everything  is  so  different,"  replied  Elsie,  quietly. 

Mrs.  St.  Johns  went  on  to  tell  of  a  friend  of  hers  who 
had,  a  few  months  before,  married  his  first-cousin,  and  in- 
veighed severely  against  the  custom.  "  Why,  the  Prayer 
Book  distinctly  forbids  it ;  it  is  terribly  wrong,  almost  as 
bad  as  brother  and  sister." 

The  good  lady  was,  as  Elsie  knew,  a  strict  Episcopalian, 


THE   RUSSIAN    REFUGEE.  201 

and  so  with  her  the  Prayer  Book  was  paramount  authority. 
But  the  young  hostess  responded  calmly  as  before. 

"  Not  quite  so  bad  as  that  surely,  Mrs.  St.  Johns  ;  and  as 
for  tbe  Prayer  Book,  I  am  afraid  very  few  accept  its  author- 
ity as  you  do.  But  there  are  many  reasons  why  it  is  better, 
perhaps,  that  cousins  should  not  marry." 

"  I  was  sure  that  you  would  agree  with  me,  Elsie  ;  I  re- 
gard it  almost  as  a  crime.  Don't  you  look  at  it  that  way, 
Mr.  Hastings  ?  " 

"No,"  replied  the  gentleman,  smiling,  "I  cannot  say  that 
I  agree  with  you  fully.  As  a  rule,  for  physiological  reasons 
first-cousins  should  not  many.  Yet,  if  both  parties  are 
strong  and  healthy,  and  with  a  good  family  history  on  both 
sides,  and  sincerely  attached  to  each  other — why,  I  fail  to 
see  any  serious  objection  to  such  a  match." 

"But  the  Bible  and  Prayer  Book  both  forbid  it.  It  is  a 
sin  against  God,"  urged  the  city  lady,  warmly. 

"  I  do  not  think  it  is  forbidden  in  the  Scriptures,  and  as 
to  the  Prayer  Book,  I  hardly  think  the  seventeenth  century 
was  capable  of  teaching  what  the  nineteenth  century 
should,  or  should  not,  do.  I  regard  it  as  lying  more  in  the 
province  of  the  physiologist  than  in  that  of  the  moralist  or 
theologian.  However,  in  most  cases  I  object  to  it,  but  011 
purely  physical  grounds." 

Mrs.  St.  Johns  was  fain  to  be  content  with  this  partial 
agreement  with  her  views,  even  if  based  upon  totally  differ- 
ent premises.  Having  been  somewhat  suspicious  that  War- 
ren Seaman  had  something  more  than  a  cousinly  regard  for 
Elsie,  she  wished  to  ascertain  how  father  and  daughter 
stood  in  reference  to  this  question  of  alliances  between  re- 
lations. She  concluded  that  she  need  not  fear  the  cousin 
as  a  rival  to  her  fastidious  son,  and  so  breathed  more  easily. 
Roland,  she  fondly  believed,  was  worthy  of  a  duchess  at 
least,  but  then  duchesses  are  not  numerous  in  this  demo- 
cratic country,  and  then,  too,  she  should  seriously  object  to 


202  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

the  wife  taking  precedence  in  rank  or  title  of  her  darling 
boy  ;  and  so  she  decided  Elsie,  being  an  heiress  and  withal 
a  bright  handsome  girl,  would  be  the  next  best.  She 
mourned,  as  before  intimated,  the  young  lady's  lack  of 
fashion,  but  felt  sure  that  could  be  mended  after  marriage 
under  the  efficient  mother-in-law  control  that  she  intended 
she  should  have.  So  the  politic  lady  laid  out  her  plans  for 
the  matrimonial  campaign  which  should  result  in  making 
Eoland  and  Elsie  one  flesh. 

To  Elsie's  great  relief,  on  Tuesday  morning  Mrs.  St.  Johns 
declared  that  she  must  pay  a  visit  to  a  married  schoolmate  of 
hers  living  in  H.,  some  twenty  miles  from  the  Hermitage. 

"  Well,  if  Roland  can  drive,  and  wishes,  I  can  let  you 
have  the  horses,  and  you  can  go  by  the  road  to-morrow 
instead  of  by  the  train,"  said  the  host,  glancing  comically 
at  his  daughter. 

"  But  you  don't  drive,  do  you,  Eoland  ?  "  said  Elsie,  in 
a  tone  which  rather  piqued  the  young  man. 

"  Oh,  no,  Roland  is  not  accustomed  to  horses,"  said  his 
mother,  anxiously  ;  "  and  besides,  there  is  no  hurry  for  a 
few  days." 

"Indeed,  I  have  had  more  experience  in  driving  than 
you  give  me  credit  for  ;  and,  if  Mr.  Hastings  will  kindly 
trust  his  horses  to  me,  I  will  drive  you  with  pleasure," 
said  the  young  gentleman,  loftily. 

"  Well,  I  will  give  orders  to  have  the  carriage  ready  for 
you  at  eight  to-morrow  morning.  John,  who  is  very  handy, 
will  go  along  to  take  care  of  the  team  in  town,  and  relieve 
Roland  if  he  wishes. 

"  Of  course  Miss  Hastings  will  accompany  us,"  said 
Roland,  who  wished  an  opportunity  to  display  before  her 
the  horsemanship  which  she  had  doubted. 

"  Not  this  time,"  said  Elsie,  rather  anxiously  ;  "  you 
know  I  am  not  acquainted  with  Mrs.  Rogers,  and  then 
the  carriage  only  holds  four  besides  John." 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  203 

Roland  pouted  somewhat  at  this,  but  the  arrangement 
was  made,  although  Alf  and  Angle  both  offered  to  remain  if 
Elsie  wished  to  go  ;  but  the  offer  was  persistently  declined 
for  very  good  reasons.  Indeed,  as  the  time  for  the  cave- 
visit  approached,  she  had  become  very  nervous  for  fear  that 
the  trip  must  be  abandoned.  Yet  she  thought  her  father 
would  find  some  way  out  of  the  difficulty,  and  this  pro- 
posed expedition  to  H.  just  answered  the  purpose. 

Wednesday  morning  opened  bright  and  lovely.  Every- 
thing seemed  bursting  with  life,  and  dead  or  inert  matter 
appeared  to  shrink  from  sight  under  nature's  widespread 
robes  of  living  glory.  Life,  life,  everywhere  the  vital  prin- 
ciple showed  joyfully  triumphant  over  decay  and  death. 
This  tremendous  force  behind  the  phenomena  of  being, 
working  so  ceaselessly,  so  resistlessly  pushing  and  stimu- 
lating myriad  material  things,  dull  and  motionless,  into 
marvellous  forms  of  activity  and  beauty — what  is  it  ? 

"  Goodby — a  very  pleasant  journey  and  visit.  We  meet 
at  dinner  this  evening  at  seven.  Roland,  better  watch  that 
off-horse.  He  is  a  little  skittish  sometimes,"  were  Mr. 
Hastings'  last  words  as  the  St.  Johns  party  drove  away. 

"I  wouldn't  dare  to  trust  that  young  man  with  those 
horses  if  John  was  not  along  ;  but  John,  young  as  he  is,  is 
one  of  the  best  drivers  in  the  country,"  he  said  to  Elsie. 

In  about  an  hour,  the  father  and  daughter  were  on  their 
way  to  the  cave,  walking  briskly  in  the  cool  morning  air. 

"How  fortunate  that  Mrs.  St.  Johns  should  have  thought 
of  that  visit  to  H.!  I  was  truly  in  a  quandary  to  know  what 
to  do,  and  I  would  not  have  disappointed  our  friends  in  the 
cave  for  the  world,"  Elsie  said,  her  face  glowing  with  the 
exercise,  and  the  feeling  of  relief  she  experienced  at  the 
way  matters  had  shaped  themselves.  Her  father  smiled  at 
her  curiously. 

"I  am  afraid  our  guest  would  not  have  thought  of  this 
visit,  if  it  had  not  been  urged  upon  her." 


204  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

"  Urged  upon  her  by  whom— you,  father  ?  "  returned  his 
daughter,  in  surprise. 

"  Oh,  no.  We  have  to  thank  French  adroitness  for 
this." 

"  Mrs.  Wagram — why,  how  did  she  know  anything  about 
it  ?  "  exclaimed  his  hearer  in  amazement. 

"  From  acts  or  words  she  drew  the  conclusion  that  you 
wanted  to-day  free,  for  some  purpose  or  other,  and  so 
she  asked  me  about  it.  I  told  her  in  a  general  way  that 
we  had  formed  a  plan  for  to-day,  but  perhaps  it  would 
have  to  be  abandoned  on  account  of  our  guests.  How  she 
accomplished  it,  I  do  not  know  ;  but  the  next  thing  was  that 
Mrs.  St.  John  was  possessed  with  the  idea  of  visiting  H. 
You  know  Mrs.  "Wagram  used  to  live  there  at  one  time." 

"  Then  this  service  is  a  sort  of  peace-offering  ;  for  she 
feels  dreadfully  about  that  robbery,  and  is  afraid  you  hold 
her  accountable,  although  I  have  assured  her  again  and 
again  that  such  is  not  the  case." 

"No,  my  dear ;  for  though  I  certainly  feel  that  she  broke 
faith  in  being  away  from  the  house  that  night,  yet  I  am 
certain  that  she  could  not  have  hindered  the  burglary  had 
she  been  there." 

Stepping  from  behind  a  large  oak-tree,  cap  in  hand,  the 
Kussian,  Adolph,  stood  in  their  path,  followed  at  a  brief 
distance  by  Hiram.  It  was  about  the  same  locality  as  he 
had  met  Elsie  in  before.  His  well-knit,  muscular  figure 
showed  to  advantage  in  the  close-fitting  hunting  dress ;  and 
his  frank,  yet  rather  retiring  manner  made  a  good  impres- 
sion on  Mr.  Hastings,  to  whom  Elsie  introduced  him.  She 
had  at  once  given  him  her  hand,  which  he  took  diffidently, 
glancing  at  her  parent  as  if  doubtful  whether  the  gentle- 
man would  sanction  an  appearance  of  intimacy  with  his 
daughter.  In  truth,  the  father  did  wince  slightly  on  see- 
ing the  stranger  and  his  child  on  apparently  such  good 
terms  ;  but  it  was  only  a  passing  emotion,  which  his  better 


THE    RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  205 

nature  controlled  at  once.  Giving  his  hand  cordially  to 
the  huntsman,  he  said  pleasantly  :  "I  have  long  wan  ted,  Mr. 
Adolph,  to  meet  and  thank  both  your  father  and  yourself 
for  the  kindness  you  showed  my  daughter  when  she  met 
•with  that  terrible  accident  last  fall." 

The  face  of  the  foreigner  was  a  curious  study  of  con- 
flicting expressions  while  Mr.  Hastings  was  speaking. 
First,  a  delighted  surprise  and  appearance  of  intense  relief 
swept  over  it,  succeeded  at  once  by  a  flush  of  painful  con- 
fusion, accompanied  by  a  deprecating  gesture  of  his  hand. 
It  was  only  an  instant,  however,  before  he  recovered  his 
habitual  strong  self-control,  and  answered  : 

"  To  meet  you,  Mr.  Hastings,  is  a  pleasure  long  looked 
forward  to.  To  hear  you  speak  such  friendly  words  is 
more  than  I  deserve." 

"  Hiram,  where  have  you  been  all  this  time  ?  "  said  Mr. 
Hastings.  "  In  meeting  new  friends,  we  must  not  forget 
old  ones." 

"The  Giraffe  "  came  forward  from  the  shadow  of  the  tree 
where  he  had  been  standing,  while  his  companion  was  be- 
ing introduced  to  the  proprietor  of  the  Hermitage. 

"Friend  Alf,  I  hev  been  to  visit  me  old  mother,  that 
lives  in  '  Netticut.  Durn  your  butes,  Hiram,  says  I,  the  ole 
woman's  getting  on,  says  I,  past  ninety,  says  I,  an' I'm  durned 
if  I  don't  leave  Gretchen  to  care  fur  the  ranch  an'  scoot  for 
'Netticut." 

"  Now,  Hiram,  why  didn't  you  let  me  know  you  were  go- 
ing to  see  your  mother,  and  I  would  have  sent  her  a  pre- 
sent? I  should  have  liked  to,  ever  so  much,"  said  Elsie. 

The  eyes  of  the  trapper  shone  brightly  as  she  spoke. 

"  Bless  yer  good  heart,  Miss  Elsie  !  the  ole  woman 'd 
feel  good  ef  she  knowed,  and  I  thank  yer  allus  the  same. 
Hearty  thank  yer  ;  fur  the  ole  woman's  right  smart,  she  is, 
an'  's  young  as  ever." 

The  simple  fellow  spoke  this  enthusiastically  ;  for  his  love 


206  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

to  his  mother,  although  they  seldom  met,  was  very  strong, 
as  Elsie  knew. 

They  were  now  walking  in  the  direction  of  the  cave, 
Adolphand  Mr.  Hastings  in  advance,  and  the  "  Giraffe  "  and 
Elsie  following  at  a  little  distance.  Arrived  at  the  clump 
of  bushes,  the  party  stopped,  and  the  Eussian  produced 
two  silk  handkerchiefs  from  his  bosom. 

"  As  no  doubt  your  daughter — that  is,  Miss  Hastings — 
informed  you,  sir,  we  have  to  blindfold  all  introduced  to 
the  cave  who  have  not  been  initiated  into  the  '  circle.'  We 
hope  you  will  not  take  it  unkindly,  and  you  may  shortly  see 
your  way  so  clearly  in  connection  with  our  aims  that  this 
form  will  cease  to  be  necessary." 

Of  course  Mr.  Hastings  could  put  but  one  construction 
on  this,  and  answered  cheerfully  :  "  Perhaps  I  may  ;  and,  in 
the  meantime,  I  am  quite  willing  to  walk  in  temporary  dark- 
ness, hoping,  through  your  guidance,  to  reach  the  light." 

The  younger  man  bowed  with  a  gratified  smile,  and  the 
bandages  were  soon  adjusted. 

"  This  reminds  me  of  my  early  days,  when  I  was  initiated 
into  the  great  order  which  then  took  the  lead  of  all  others 
— at  least,  among  English-speaking  people,"  remarked  the 
gentleman,  as  they  were  carefully  guided  through  the 
winding  passages  of  the  underground  way.  In  a  short 
time  a  halt  was  made,  and  the,  to  Elsie,  familiar  "Slava 
Bogu"  greeted  their  ears,  as  the  bandages  were  quietly 
removed. 

"Welcome,  very  welcome  to  our  underground  home," 
said  a  pleasant  voice,  as  a  reverend  figure,  with  long  white 
beard,  came  forward  with  outstretched  hands  to  meet  Mr. 
Hastings'  newly  recovered  sight.  Although  tolerably  well- 
informed  of  his  appearance  from  Elsie's  description,  the 
guest  was  hardly  prepared  to  find  such  a  very  dignified, 
handsome  embodiment  of  regal  old  age  in  this  singular 
abode. 


THE   RUSSIAN   EEFUGEE.  207 

"  Father,  this  is  my  friend  and  benefactor,  of  whom  I 
have  told  you,"  said  Elsie,  taking  a  hand  of  each. 

"  Not  as  a  stranger  do  you  come  among  us,  my  son  ;  for, 
knowing  your  amiable  daughter,  we  feel  that  we  know  you," 
said  the  old  man,  taking  Mr.  Hastings'  hand,  and  placing  it 
over  his  own  heart.  "  With  heart  and  hand  I  welcome  you." 

At  the  same  time,  those  magnetic  eyes  were  fixed  win- 
ningly  upon  the  stranger  visitor.  The  reception  was  im- 
pressive in  its  simple  dignity,  and  left  a  very  pleasing 
influence  on  Mr.  Hastings,  who  was  then  introduced  to 
Nadia  and  Sophia,  who  had  just  entered  the  room,  the 
latter  somewhat  less  demonstrative  toward  Elsie,  on  ac- 
count of  the  awe-inspiring  presence  of  Mr.  Hastings,  but 
still  clinging  to  her  beloved  friend  fondly.  It  was  truly  a 
unique  party  assembled  in  the  singular  dwelling — the  grand 
old  Exile,  looking  patriarchal  enough  to  warrant  his  call- 
ing Mr.  Hastings  "  my  son,"  as  he  had  done  ;  then  the 
erect,  still  fresh-looking  proprietor  of  the  Hermitage,  just 
entering  the  path  of  old  age,  with  but  a  glimpse  of  the  win- 
ter-roses showing  in  his  hair  and  beard.  Close  to  her  father 
sat  the  heiress  of  the  Hermitage,  radiant  with  health  and 
youth,  showing,  by  her  heightened  color  and  smiling  face, 
how  keenly  she  enjoyed  the  occasion.  Near  her,  but  some- 
what in  the  shadow,  stood  the  sinewy  form  of  the  younger 
Kussian,  in  whose  manly,  expressive  countenance  could  be 
easily  read  how  intensely  interested  he  was  in  everything 
passing.  And  the  gentle  Nadia,  the  unobtrusive  wife  of 
the  Siberian  exile,  with  the  active,  ardent,  affectionate  little 
maiden,  Sophia.  Nor  can  we  omit  the  oddest,  quaintest 
form  of  all,  standing  away  from  the  group,  but  towering 
above  them,  gaunt  and  solitary,  like  a  tall  pine  hardly  used 
by  the  elements,  and  stripped  of  all  verdure  and  beauty, 
but  standing  out  against  the  landscape — heroic,  strong,  en- 
during, storm-defying,  and  fearless — the  "  Giraffe." 

To  describe  the  expression  of  the  trapper's  visage,  as  he 


208  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

gazed  at  the  little  assembly,  would  be  impossible.  He 
heartily  entered  into  and  enjoyed  the  scene  ;  for  except- 
ing, perhaps,  Gretchen,  all  those  to  whom  he  felt  closest 
bound  were  before  him  ;  and  it  was  a  delight  to  the  simple 
soul  to  help  bring  them  together.  His  long  face  was  drawn 
into  a  curious  contortion,  meant  for  a  smile  ;  and  it  was  a 
smile,  although  a  grotesque  and  rather  alarming  one,  which 
by  no  means  did  credit  to  the  kind  human  feeling  which 
prompted  it.  It  was  a  smile  which  cruelly  caricatured  his 
loyal  heart  and  strong,  earnest  faithful  nature — a  smile  in 
which  every  feature  taking  part  to  produce  it  looked  as  if 
playing  in  a  burlesque.  Let  physiognomists  say  what  they 
list,  the  human  face  does  not  always  give  a  true  idea  of  the 
character,  especially  if  a  panther's  claws  have  had  some- 
thing to  do  in  shaping  the  physiognomy,  after  Dame  Nature 
had  dismissed  it  as  finished.  And  such  had  been  the  case 
with  the  "  Gii'affe  ; "  so  the  play  of  the  emotions  on  his  face 
was  truly  a  "  comedy  of  errors,"  so  far  as  the  beholders 
were  concerned. 

Contrary  to  his  former  custom,  Hiram  remained  in  the 
room,  probably  in  obedience  to  a  sign  made  to  him  by 
Adolph  when  they  entered. 

"  What  a  magnificent  dog,"  said  Mr.  Hastings,  laying  his 
hand  on  the  head  of  the  Russian  hound, who  had  approached 
as  if  to  welcome  the  guest. 

"Alex  is  one  of  the  few  good  things  Siberia  produces," 
replied  the  Exile. 

"Is  he  really  a  full-blooded  Siberian  blood-hound ?  I 
have  often  heard  of  them,  but  not  seen  one  before." 

"  Yes  :  a  friend  brought  him  to  me  when  a  puppy,  three 
years  since  ;  and  he  is,  as  you  see,  one  of  the  family.  Alex, 
now  you  have  been  introduced,  go  and  lie  down." 

The  obedient  animal  did  at  once  as  his  master  ordered, 
followed  to  his  resting-place  by  the  admiring  eyes  of  the 
visitors. 


THE    RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  209 

"  We  have  long  known  of  you,  Mr.  Hastings,  and  grieved 
that  opportunity  did  not  offer  or  circumstances  permit  a 
nearer  knowledge,"  remarked  the  Patriarch,  turning  to  his 
guest. 

"  Well,  I  cannot  say  as  much,"  answered  the  gentleman, 
smiling;  "for  I  did  not  know  of  your  existence  until  within 
the  last  three  days." 

"  No,  you  could  hardly  have  suspected  that  you  had  un- 
derground neighbors — that  is,  of  your  own  species.  But 
though  isolated,  apart,  and  unknown,  yet  we  have  not  been 
entirely  unaware  of  the  life  passing  around  us,  or  unsym- 
pathetic with  the  experiences  which  go  to  form  the  current 
of  human  existence.  Your  dear  child  here — and  the  aged 
speaker  fondly  regarded  Elsie — has  doubtless  informed  you 
of  those  circumstances  in  my  earlier  career  which  compelled 
this  solitude  and  separation  from  society?  " 

"I  think  Elsie  has  told  me  all,  so  far  as  she  knew,  un- 
derstanding such  to  be  your  wish." 

"Perhaps  I  acted  unwisely  in  the  course  pursued,  and 
might  have  been  justified  and  protected,  had  I  stated  the 
facts  and  thrown  myself  on  the  generosity  of  this  tyrant- 
hating,  freedom-loving  country,  just  then  herself  emerging 
from  a  terrible  but  victorious  conflict  with  oppression  and 
wrong.  But  remember,  I  was  a  stranger,  and  did  not  know 
how  far  the  power  and  vindictiveness  of  that  hateful  des- 
potism, which  held  the  throat  of  my  native  land  in  its  re- 
lentless grasp,  could  go.  Siberia,  with  all  the  soul-haunting 
dread  and  horror  which  that  word  implies  to  a  Russian, 
was  ever  before  me  ;  and  anything,  even  death  itself,  seemed 
preferable  to  that." 

The  old  man  paused,  and  seemed  lost  in  painful  recollec- 
tions, and  bent  his  eyes  on  the  ground,  while  Adolph  re- 
marked, in  a  low  but  clear  voice  :  "  Mr.  Hastings,  you  must 
excuse  us  if  we  seem  to  obtrude  our  private  griefs  upon  you ; 
but  our  wrongs  have  been  so  long  confined  to  our  own 
14 


210  THE  RUSSIAN  BEFUGEE. 

bosoms  that  it  is  indeed  an  unspeakable  relief  to  express 
them  to  sympathetic  ears  :  besides,  freedom  and  human 
rights  are  sacred  themes,  in  which  all  noble  souls  must  feel 
interest." 

The  gentleman  addressed  looked  toward  the  speaker  with 
kindling  eyes  :  "I  should  be  dull  and  selfish,  indeed,  did 
not  the  recital  of  human  sufferings  and  wrongs  touch  me," 
said  he ;  "  nay,  more,  lam  profoundly  affected  and  interested 
by  the  attitude  assumed  by  the  different  nations  of  the  world 
toward  the  great  principles  of  individual  freedom  and  hu- 
man rights  which  we  are  trying  to  emphasize  in  this  re- 
public of  ours.  Kussia  especially,  in  her  frantic  efforts  to 
solve  the  problem  of  true  relations  between  the  governing 
and  the  governed,  has  attracted  my  most  earnest  attention 
and  heartiest  sympathy." 

Father  and  son  both  testified  their  deep  gratification  in 
the  words  of  the  speaker  by  an  eager  attention,  while  the 
play  of  emotion  on  the  expressive  face  of  the  venerable 
Exile  was  to  Elsie  peculiarly  touching. 

"  Your  words,  my  son,  are  like  food  to  the  hungry — for 
they  give  strength.  Belying  on  this  love  of  right,  which  is 
inherent  in  your  nature,  we  have  invited  you  to  come  among 
us  here,  and  take  a  place  in  our  hearts,  even  as  your  dear 
child  has.  We  ask  you  to  know  us,  and  judge  of  our  claims 
and  hopes,  our  aspirations  and  efforts.  In  short,  we  hope 
to  be  able  to  call  you  a  friend  and  fellow-well-wisher  toward 
the  redeemed  Kussia  of  our  faith  and  trust.  For  are  we 
not  all  brethren — whether  American  or  English,  Hungarian, 
Polish,  French  or  Kussian  ?  Are  not  the  interests  of  all 
members  of  the  great  family  of  nations  identical— the 
greatest  good  to  the  greatest  number  ;  to  emancipate,  ele- 
vate, and  enlighten  the  many,  and  to  curtail  and  limit  the 
powers  and  privileges  of  the  usurping  few  ?  Yours  is  the 
exemplar  nation  of  modern  times,  and  marching  in  the  van 
of  progress  and  carrying  the  people's  flag.  America,  lead 


THE    RUSSIAN    REFUGEE.  211 

on  !  and  let  each  nation  which  deserves  the  name,  even  poor 
Russia — down-trodden,  oppressed  Russia — wheel  into  line 
and  follow  !  "  • 

The  venerable  speaker  rose  during  the  latter  part  of  his 
vehement  utterance,  standing  erect  with  one  hand  resting 
on  his  staff,  which  Sophia  had  brought  to  him  preparatory 
to  their  seeing  something  of  the  cave,  which  had  been  pro- 
posed so  soon  as  the  guests  had  rested  a  little. 

"But  we  will  leave  this  subject  now,  and  go  and  look  at 
a  few  of  the  many  curious  chambers  in  this  underground 
abiding-place. " 

So  saying,  the  speaker  led  the  way,  the  others  following, 
with  the  exception  of  Nadia  and  her  daughter,  who  dis- 
appeared behind  the  curtain  which  separated  their  apart- 
ments from  the  general  sitting-room.  After  inspecting 
those  parts  of  the  subterranean  region  which  have  been 
spoken  of  before,  the  party  returned  to  the  sitting-room 
for  lunch,  and  such  further  conversation  as  the  time  per- 
mitted before  returning  home. 

The  visitors  did  full  justice  to  the  nice  little  lunch,  which 
was  served  in  full  view  of  the  great  ravine,  now  clad  in 
the  full  glory  of  late  spring.  Although  the  heat  outside 
was  rather  oppressive,  within  the  cave  the  temperature 
was  quite  pleasant,  though  there  was  a  little  fire  on  the 
great  hearth — which  fire,  Mr.  Hastings  was  informed,  never 
was  permitted  to  go  out  entirely. 

"  For  there  are  very  few  evenings,  even  during  July  and 
August,  when  fire  is  not  pleasant  here,"  remarked  the  host 
to  his  guests. 

In  looking  at  the  arrangements  and  curiosities  of  the 
singular  room  in  which  they  were  seated,  Mr.  Hastings  soon 
noticed  the  symbolical  drawing  of  the  circle  and  dagger : 

"  Why,  how  very  curious — the  dagger  and  circle,  Elsie," 
he  whispered  significantly.  "Can  that  have  any  relation 
to  our  house  and  grounds  ?  " 


212  THE   RUSSIAN   EEFUGEE. 

"  Ask  the  Patriarch,"  she  answered  smilingly,  quite  willing 
that  he  should  draw  his  knowledge  from  the  fountain-head, 
6nd  indeed  desiring  that  the  subject  of  the  circle  should  be 
opened  up,  being  conscious  of  some  little  prejudice  in  her 
father's  mind  against  these  foreign  secret  societies. 

"  I  am  glad  you  asked  this  question,  my  son  ;  for  I  would 
like  you  to  know  the  manner  of  our  society.  As  I  told 
your  daughter,  the  property  you  own  does  really  bear  the 
symbolic  stamp  of  a  member  of  our  circle,  who  was  for- 
merly proprietor  of  it.  The  picture  there  shows  the  same, 
on  a  small  scale,  that  your  grounds  and  house  do  on  a  large. 
Our  organization  numbers  over  one  hundred  thousand 
members,  men  and  women,  of  all  nationalities  and  of  all 
shades  of  religious  belief,  but  one  in  their  detestation  of 
tyranny,  and  hatred  of  oppression  in  any  form  whatsoever. 
Any  true  friend  of  Eussia  in  her  struggle  for  liberty  can  be 
a  member." 

"  But  allow  me  to  ask  if  that  dagger  does  not  suggest 
the  taking  of  life,  if  necessary  to  compass  certain  ends 
deemed  important  ?  In  other  words,  as,  in  so  many  of  these 
secret  political  societies,  is  not  assassination  regarded  as 
justifiable  to  put  obnoxious  people  out  of  the  way  ?  "  asked 
Mr.  Hastings. 

The  Exile  looked  pained  at  the  question,  and  responded 
slowly  :  "  By  no  means.  Assassination  is  by  us  not  only 
considered  as  unjustifiable,  but  is  abhorrent  to  the  whole 
spirit  of  our  order.  The  dagger  with  us  simply  means 
self-defence.  We  are  sworn  to  defend  ourselves  and  our 
friends  against  peril ;  but  that  is  all." 

"Then  you  are  not  Socialists,  and  do  not  sympathize 
with  their  methods  ?  "  said  Mr.  Hastings,  in  a  surprised  way. 

"  No,  we  are  not,  in  the  extreme  sense,"  deliberately  an- 
swered the  aged  Exile,  smiling  on  his  questioner,  "  although 
I  am  well  aware  that  we  have  been  and  are  so  considered. 
But  our  methods  of  action  are  entirely  pacific  ;  and  one  of 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  213 

the  most  important  of  these  agencies  is  by  the  dissemina- 
tion of  the  right  kind  of  literature — teaching  people  to 
think.  We  seek  to  conquer  or  persuade  or  convince  the 
brain,  feeling  assured  that  this  accomplished,  and  not  until 
then,  the  hands  and  hearts  will  be  at  our  service." 

Altogether  the  visit  was,  to  Mr.  Hastings,  a  means  of  re- 
moving much  involuntary  prejudice  which  he  had  enter- 
tained against  the  various  secret  societies  which  have  risen 
to  such  importance  in  European  politics. 

Treachery,  midnight  murder,  gunpowder,  and  poisoning, 
had  been  synonymous  with  such  organizations,  and  he  was 
really  relieved  to  find  one  order  at  least,  which  professed 
to  be  based  upon  a  higher  and  more  rational  platform.  He 
was  greatly  impressed  by  the  dignity,  urbanity,  and  noble 
bearing  of  the  Russian  exile,  and  the  quiet,  domestic  pleas- 
ant manners  of  the  mother  and  child.  Adolph,  he  acknowl- 
edged, was  a  straightforward,  manly  fellow,  and  had  he 
been — but  why  mar  the  pleasant  memory  of  what  was  a 
very  enjoyable  occasion  by  any  foolish  wishes  ? 

"  I  must  see  more  of  those  people,  they  are  peculiarly 
interesting ; "  he  said,  to  his  daughter,  on  arriving  at  their 
own  gate,  just  as  the  clock  was  striking  the  dinner  hour. 

Fortunately,  the  St.  Johns'  party  had  not  returned,  but 
came  in  a  few  minutes  later,  and  so  were  unaware  of  the 
host  and  hostess  having  been  absent  from  home ;  and  it  was 
decided  best  not  to  specially  inform  them. 


CHAPTEK  XVIL 
"I  HOPE  I  DON'T  INTRUDE?" 

"  Yes,  Miss  Elsie,  I  knew  Mrs.  Kogers  when  I  lived  in  H. 
She  used  to  visit  Madame  La  Raimee,  the  French  milliner, 
who  was  mon  ami,  my  great  friend,  Miss  Elsie.  And  I  told 
Madame  St.  Johns  about  the  beautiful  artiste  Madame  La 
Raimee  was,  and  about  some  beautiful  hats  madame  had 
got  lately  from  Paris,  and  so  she  say  she  must  go  ; "  and  here 
the  black  eyes  of  the  vivacious  Frenchwoman  twinkled 
gayly,  and  Elsie  knew  how  truly  she  had  penetrated  and 
sagaciously  played  upon  the  weakness  of  the  city  lady. 

This  conversation  was  suggested  and  caused  by  the 
vision  of  Mrs.  St.  Johns  and  her  daughters,  each  arrayed  in 
a  new  hat,  as  they  passed  up-stairs  to  their  rooms.  Roland 
was  rather  out  of  sorts  ;  for  although,  owing  to  John's  skill 
very  largely,  the  driving  was  a  success,  they  having  only 
blocked  wheels  three  times  with  other  vehicles  and 
knocked  down  one  infirm  old  man,  yet  the  young  man  was 
indignant  at  having  been  made  unknowingly  an  accessory 
to  a  millinery  expedition.  Besides  which,  he  could  not 
forgive  his  sisters  for  not  having  insisted  on  Elsie's  accom- 
panying them. 

However,  he  brightened  up  somewhat  at  dinner  when 
Mr.  Hastings  complimented  him  on  the  good  condition  in 
which  he  had  brought  back  the  team.  A  dollar  to  John, 
and  fifty  cents  to  the  knocked-down  man,  who  was  more 
frightened  than  hurt,  this  accompanied  by  a  stern  injunc- 
tion to  the  girls  to  preserve  a  discreet  reticence,  enabled 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  215 

the  young  gentleman  to  feel  quite  at  his  ease,  and  even 
boast  a  little  of  his  skill  in  handling  the  ribbons.  Alf 
longed  to  take  him  down  a  peg  or  so,  as  she  termed  it,  but 
her  mother's  eye  meant  mischief  she  knew,  in  case  such  at- 
tempt was  made  ;  and  so  she  wisely  refrained  for  the  time 
being. 

"  We  have  had  a  most  delightful  day,  I  can  assure  you, 
Mr.  Hastings  ;  the  day  was  charming,  tres  charmant.  Oh, 
you  should  have  been  with  us,  Elsie.  Such  exquisite  spring 
hats,  just  your  style,  right  from  Paris — just  too  lovely.  If 
I  had  known  what  a  magnificent  trip  we  were  going  to 
have,  I  would  have  insisted  on  your  going  ;  positively  I 
would  not  have  taken  no  for  an  answer.  How  did  you 
spend  the  day  ?  " 

The  remarks  to  Elsie,  with  the  exception  of  the  last  sen- 
tence, were  uttered  in  a  low  tone,  and  intended  for  her  ear 
alone. 

"  We,  too,  have  had  a  nice  time.  Father  and  I  took  a 
country  ramble,  and  called  on  some  of  our  country  ac- 
quaintances," said  the  young  lady,  quietly. 

"  Bless  me,  who  is  that  ?  "  said  Mrs.  St.  Johns,  as  a  two- 
wheeled  trap,  drawn  by  a  handsome  white  horse,  drove  up 
to  the  door. 

A  servant  entered,  bearing  a  card,  on  which  Mr.  Hastings 
read  aloud, 

"  Harry  Esmond,  Melbourne,  Australia." 

"Cousin  Harry,  from  Australia,"  ejaculated  Elsie,  while 
her  cheek  paled  a  little,  as  she  glanced  at  her  father's 
rather  clouded  brow. 

"  And  here  I  am,  my  dear  uncle  and  cousin,  closely  fol- 
lowing my  card  ;  forgive  me,  I  did  not  know  you  had  com- 
pany, and  was  so  anxious  to  see  3-011  that  I  could  not  wait ; " 
and  the  new-comer  shook  hands  heartily  with  Mr.  Hastings, 
and  kissed  Elsie,  almost  before  they  knew  it,  and  certainly 
before  they  had  recovered  from  their  surprise. 


216  THE   KUSSIAN   KEFUGEE. 

There  was  no  help  for  it.  If  that  cloud  on  Mr.  Hastings' 
brow  had  indicated  any  unpleasant  feeling  at  his  nephew's 
appearance,  or  Elsie's  sudden  pallor  showed  some  old 
wound  reopened,  the  guests  were  not  permitted  to  know 
of  it,  for  the  master  of  the  Hermitage  immediately  regained 
his  self-possession  and  gave  his  relation  a  formal  introduc- 
tion to  the  rest  of  the  company. 

"  Perhaps  you  would  like  to  retire  to  your  room,  or  will 
you  join  us  at  dinner  now,"  said  Mr.  Hastings. 

"Well,  uncle,  I  am,  to  be  sure,  not  very  fit,  in  this 
travelling  costume,  for  the  company  of  ladies,  but  if  they 
will  pardon  it  I  will  join  you  now.  You  do  look  so  cosey 
and  pleasant." 

The  new  visitor  was  of  the  medium  height,  of  slight  build, 
and  swarthy  complexion.  He  had  shaggy  eyebrows,  dark 
curly  hair,  and  a  full  black  beard.  Attired  in  a  neatly  fit- 
ting travelling  suit,  and  with  a  display  of  ornament  border- 
ing on  the  profuse  ;  he  suggested  a  well-to-do  merchant  or 
commercial  traveller,  of  about  thirty  years  of  age.  He  was 
soon  entirely  at  his  ease  with  the  company,  and  proved  a 
very  entertaining  companion,  having  apparently  travelled 
extensively. 

"Have  you  just  returned  from  Australia,  Henry;  I  see 
your  card  has  Melbourne  on  it  ?  " 

"  Yes,  uncle,  I  have  permanently  located  there  now.  You 
see,  I  have  been  rather  lucky,  made  some  good  speculations 
in  the  mining  region,  and  have  realized  considerable  money. 
So  I  thought  I  must  come  and  see  you  all.  You  don't  know 
how  I  longed  to  see  the  old  place  again  ?  I  spent  my  boy- 
hood here,  Mrs.  St.  Johns." 

"  Why,  are  you  the  nephew  that  was  the  companion  of 
this  dear  girl's  childhood,  and  went  abroad  so  many  years 
ago  ?  "  asked  the  lady,  regarding  him  curiously. 

"Yes,  I  am  indeed  the  same,"  returned  the  young  man, 
meeting  her  gaze  unflinchingly.  "  I  was  rather  a  wild  fel- 


THE   EUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  217 

low  then,  I  confess,  and  gave  rny  friends  some  anxious  hours, 
no  doubt,  but  I've  sown  my  wild  oats — have  reformed  in 
fact,  and  with  my  brightened,  and  still  I  hope  brightening, 
prospects  have  decided  to  settle  down  into — ahem — into  re- 
spectability. I  frankly  acknowledge  my  past  has  not  been 
perhaps  just  as  straight-laced  as  some  might  wish.  Boyish 
follies,  my  dear  madam,  boyish  follies,  but  as  one  of  our 
poets  says  :  '  The  sun  that  sheds  the  brightest  day,  may 
rise  from  mist  and  gloom.' "  And  the  speaker  gracefully 
made  a  little  gesture  with  his  shapely  jewelled  left  hand,  as 
if  to  emphasize  his  quotation. 

Esmond  was  well  aware  that  Mrs.  St.  Johns  knew  his 
early  history,  and  so  he  shrewdly  resolved  to  forestall  criti- 
cism lof  a  frank  contrition,  and  a  show  of  manly  regret, 
knowing  well  that  the  reputation  of  having  been  "a  little 
wild  "  would  rather  act  as  a  recommendation  to  the  ladies, 
a  sort  of  passport  to  their  favor.  Such  attitude  of  women 
toward  the  dissolute  of  the  other  sex  works  untold  evil. 
It  is  a  fruitful  source  of  misery,  suffering,  and  woe.  The 
hateful  maxim  which  passes  too  current  in  female  society 
that  "  married,"  or  as  it  is  termed  "  reformed  rakes  make 
the  best  husbands,"  is  an  iniquitous  falsehood.  No  man 
whose  youth  or  early  manhood  has  been  trailed  through 
the  mire  of  vice,  ever  makes  the  man  he  might  have  been, 
without  such  loathsome  baptism.  These  stains  reach  to 
the  soul,  and  it  will  take  more  than  the  few  years  of  Time 
to  wash  them  out.  If  the  unwritten  history  of  the  after- 
mai-riage  life  of  the  "reformed  rakes"  could  be  read  by  the 
other  sex,  they  would  stand  back  appalled,  and  shrink  as 
from  the  brink  of  a  precipice,  at  the  physical,  moral,  and 
spiritual  corruption  revealed.  Some  of  the  most  awful 
perils  to  which  human  nature  can  be  exposed  are  thought- 
lessly incurred  by  delicate  refined  women,  in  marrying  men 
who  have  been  "  only  a  little  wild." 

Harry  Esmond  had  been  left  an  orphan  at  the  tender  age 


218  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

of  three,  thrcmgh  the  death,  by  accident,  of  Mrs.  Hastings' 
only  brother,  his  wife  having  died  shortly  after  the  child's 
birth.  The  little  one  was  at  once  adopted  by  its  uncle, 
who  felt  all  a  father's  interest  in  it.  Three  years  older 
than  Elsie,  the  children  had  grown  up  together  and  been 
as  brother  and  sister,  all  through  the  years  of  childhood 
and  youth.  But  Harry  proved  erratic  and  intractable. 
He  early  showed  a  predilection  for  low  society,  and  when  a 
mere  lad  would  annoy  his  uncle  by  bringing  about  the 
house  the  bad  boys  of 'the  neighborhood.  Admonition  and 
punishment  proved  of  little  avail,  and  the  boy  was  sent 
to  a  boarding-school  at  the  age  of  thirteen  ;  but  at  the  ex- 
piration of  the  first  term,  the  principal,  Dr.  Goring,  sent  a 
note  to  Mr.  Hastings,  declining  positively  to  receive  young 
Esmond  again,  as  he  was  simply  incorrigible,  and  recom- 
mending a  private  tutor  for  him.  The  suggestion  was 
acted  on,  but  the  tutor,  scholarly  and  conscientious,  had  to 
console  himself  with  the  rapid  progress  of  Elsie,  who 
joined  her  cousin  in  some  of  his  studies,  for  the  indolence 
and  apathy  of  his  special  charge. 

At  the  end  of  a  year  the  tutor  resigned,  tired  of  his  task, 
and  strongly  urged  that  the  boy  should  be  apprenticed  to 
some  mechanical  work,  as  he  showed  more  aptitude  for 
handling  tools,  than  anything  else.  But  while  the  uncle 
was  trying  to  perfect  arrangements  with  this  end  in  view, 
the  nephew  had  turned  his  mechanical  abilities  to  account 
in  another  direction.  It  was  conceded  by  all  who  had  come 
in  contact  with  the  boy,  that  he  had  abundant  ability,  if  he 
would  only  direct  it  into  some  useful  channel.  He  was  a 
perfect  mimic,  and  excelled  in  dramatic  power.  He  easily 
eclipsed  all  his  youthful  competitors  in  the  school  and 
home  tableaux,  or  exhibitions  in  which  he  had  taken  part! 
He  had  an  excellent  voice  for  song  and  some  musical  ability. 
He  had  learned  to  dance  and  do  it  well  too,  in  some  inex- 
plicable way,  having  never  taken  any  lessons,  and  naturally 


THE   EUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  219 

his  accomplishments  made  him  very  popular  among  youths 
of  his  own  age.  He  had  repeatedly  urged  his  uncle  to  let 
him  become  an  actor,  but  knowing  that  with  the  boy's 
habits  and  inclinations  this  would  mean  absolute  ruin,  Mr. 
Hastings  peremptorily  declined. 

When  Harry  was  about  sixteen  the  Milford  Chief  of 
Police  called  on  Mr.  Hastings,  and  was  closeted  with  him 
for  an  hour.  At  the  expiration  of  the  interview,  Harry  was 
sent  for  by  his  uncle,  and  given  the  choice  of  going  to 
prison  to  be  tried  for  implication  in  a  series  of  petty  rob- 
beries in  Milford  which  had  long  defied  the  vigilance  of 
the  police,  or  proceeding  by  the  next  steamer  to  Australia. 

The  chief  was  inflexible.  Young  Esmond  had  been  the 
planner  and  leader  of  the  gang  of  boys  who  had  done  the 
pillaging,  and  he  must  stand  trial  or  leave  the  country. 
The  proprietor  of  the  Hermitage  had  done  the  chief  a  favor 
at  one  time,  having  been  his  bondsman,  and  to  save  Mr. 
Hastings'  family  pride  he  stretched  his  authority  to  give 
his  nephew  a  chance  to  escape. 

"  I  have  done  everything  possible  for  you,  Harry.  I  have 
been  a  father  to  you,  but  you  have  proved  an  ingrate,  and 
henceforth  we  must  be  as  strangers.  I  will  give  you  a  let- 
ter to  a  merchant  in  Sydney,  who  will,  for  my  sake,  give  you 
employment,  and  so  you  will  be  afforded  an  opportunity  to 
retrieve  yourself  and  be  a  man.  Give  up  your  bad  habits — 
your  smoking,  and  drinking,  and  fondness  for  bad  society — 
and  you  may  yet  grow  up  to  be  an  honorable  man,  and  this 
crime  and  your  worthless  boyhood  may  be  forgotten." 

The  reckless  youth  listened  to  his  uncle's  admonition 
with  barely  concealed  contempt,  and  felt  rather  glad  than 
otherwise  at  the  prospect  of  being  his  own  master.  He 
experienced  no  compunction  for  the  wrong  he  had  done, 
but  only  regretted  that  the  break  came  before  the  gang  had 
matured  their  plans  for  breaking  into  a  large  jewellery  estab- 
lishment, where  they  expected  to  obtain  considerable  booty 


220  THE   KUSSIAN    KEFUGEE. 

—sufficient  to  enable  them  to  go  to  some  distant  city,  as 
they  were  half  afraid  that  suspicion  was  being  attracted  to 
them. 

There  were  about  nine  in  the  gang,  the  chief  said,  and 
he  had  all  the  names,  and  their  operations  had  shown  con- 
siderable adroitness  and  skill — so  much  so,  indeed,  that  the 
police  suspected  that  some  older  criminal  had  been  direct- 
ing matters,  without  showing  his  hand,  so  well  had  their 
tracks  been  covered  up. 

Elsie  was  much  distressed  at  her  cousin's  sudden  depart- 
ure ;  for,  in  spite  of  his  waywardness,  she  was  much  attached 
to  him,  and  he  had  been  the  playmate  of  her  childhood. 
The  dissoluteness  of  the  youth  could  not  efface  from  her 
mind  the  memory  of  the  handsome,  curly-headed  boy,  who 
shared  her  early  life,  with  its  sunshine  and  shadow,  its 
smiles  and  tears. 

Perhaps  the  only  redeeming  feature  in  Harry's  character 
was  his  affection  for  his  cousin,  which  had  always  influ- 
enced him  in  a  degree — that  is,  when  it  did  not  too  seriously 
interfere  with  his  own  selfish  pleasures.  He  bade  his  uncle 
a  cold  good-by  ;  but  when  he  turned  to  his  cousin,  the  tears 
came,  and  he  turned  away  to  conceal  an  emotion  he  felt 
ashamed  of. 

"  Be  a  good,  noble  boy,  Harry,  and  perhaps  Mr.  Gordon 
will  take  you  into  partnership.  Promise  to  write  to  me," 
she  whispered,  as  she  slipped  into  his  hand  a  small  gold 
watch,  with  his  name  and  that  of  the  donor,  and  the  date  of 
gift  engraved  on  the  back,  which  had  cost  her  all  her  sav- 
ings to  purchase. 

So  the  lad  had  left  the  Hermitage,  the  home  of  his  boy- 
hood, and  the  scene,  too,  of  his  criminal  youth. 

At  first  he  wrote  to  Elsie  pretty  regularly,  telling  how 
he  had  delivered  his  letter,  and  was  employed  in  Mr.  Gor- 
don's store  ;  and  then  the  letters  became  infrequent,  and 
finally  ceased  altogether. 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  221 

At  length,  at  Elsie's  urgent  request,  about  four  years  after 
her  cousin's  departure,  Mr.  Hastings  wrote  to  the  Sydney 
merchant,  and  was  amazed  to  receive  a  reply  disavowing 
all  knowledge  of  the  young  man.  The  letter  of  introduc- 
tion had  never  been  delivered,  and  nothing  seen  or  heard 
of  the  bearer  of  it.  To  be  sure,  Mr.  Gordon  stated  that 
about  the  time  referred  to,  a  gang  of  young  gamblers  fresh 
from  the  States  had  landed  in  the  city,  and  began  opera- 
tions pretty  extensively,  but  he  hoped  the  missing  nephew 
had  not  been  acquainted  with  them. 

"  My  dear,  we  must  dismiss  Harry  from  our  minds  ;  I  am 
afraid  his  case  is  hopeless.  Let  us  talk  no  more  about  him  ; 
he  is  not  worthy  of  it." 

And  so  Harry  Esmond  had  dropped  out  of  their  lives, 
until  he  now  loomed  up  eleven  years  afterward,  and  took 
his  place  at  the  dinner-table,  as  stated.  No  wonder  the 
uncle's  brow  clouded,  no  marvel  the  cheek  of  the  cousin 
paled  and  flushed  as  the  prodigal  entered  the  room. 

The  stranger  nephew  talked  vivaciously,  and  yet  with  a 
deferential  politeness,  that  quite  entrenched  him  in  the 
good  opinion  of  the  young  people,  at  least,  not  excepting 
Elsie,  who  was  touched  by  his  candid^  acknowledgment  of 
wrong-doing  in  the  past,  and  claims  of  being  quite  re- 
formed. 

Mr.  Hastings  was  polite  to  his  relative,  but  it  evidently 
cost  an  effort ;  and  the  young  man  felt  that,  in  spite  of  his 
assurance  and  dash,  it  would  be  necessary  to  "  have  it  out " 
with  his  uncle  very  soon  after  dinner,  but  was  confident  in 
his  ability  to  place  matters  upon  an  amicable  footing. 

About  an  hour  after  dinner,  a  card  was  handed  to  Mr. 
Harry  Esmond,  requesting  his  presence  in  the  library.  The 
Australian  entered  the  room  in  his  cool,  confident  manner, 
and  offered  to  take  his  uncle's  hand,  saying  :  "You  cannot 
tell  how  glad  I  am  to  see  you  again,  uncle,  after  our  long 
separation.  It's  deuced  hard  to  pass  so  many  years  of 


222  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

one's  life  in  a  strange  land,  away  from  all  one's  friends,  I 
can  tell  you." 

Mr.  Hastings  ignored  the  extended  hand,  and  quietly 
motioned  him  to  a  seat.  "  Now  we  are  alone,  Henry,  it  is 
not  necessary  to  keep  up  an  appearance  of  friendship 
which  cannot  possibly  have  any  real  existence  between  us. 
On  my  part,  it  might  be  excusable  before  strangers,  from 
the  wish  to  avoid  unpleasant  family  recitals  ;  but  on  your 
part,  it  can  only  be  the  grossest  hypocrisy,  to  cover  some 
scheme  or  ulterior  aim.  Will  you  please  explain  your  ap- 
pearance here — I  may  say,  your  extraordinary  and  unwar- 
ranted intrusion  here,  considering  the  circumstances  under 
which  you  left  us,  as  a  criminal,  eleven  years  ago,  and  the 
brazen  effrontery  of  those  lying  letters  you  wrote  from 
Australia,  not  to  mention  the  suspicious  silence  you  have 
preserved  ever  since  ?  " 

The  culprit  listened  with  a  chagrined  hurt  look  upon  his 
rather  handsome  face,  which  gradually  gave  way  to  an  amused 
expression,  as  his  uncle  referred  to  the  letters.  Taking  a 
cigar-case  from  his  pocket,  he  held  it  toward  his  offended 
relative,  saying  :  "  It  is  dull  work  talking,  uncle.  Have  a 
cigar  ;  they  are  real  Havanas,  I  assure  you  " — at  the  same 
time  taking  one  himself,  and  biting  the  end  preparatory  to 
lighting  it. 

"  Please  restrain  your  smoking  until  you  go  outside  ;  I 
allow  no  one  to  smoke  in  this  room.  Besides,  I  want  no 
trifling,  but  a  clear  understanding  of  our  position  forth- 
with." 

"  Well,  now,  I  remember  you  didn't  smoke — excuse  me  ; 
but  I  thought  maybe  you  had  learned  in  the  meantime. 
Now,  uncle,  you  shouldn't  be  hard  on  a  fellow.  I  did  treat 
you  meanly.  When  I  think  of  it,  I  could  go  out  and  hang 
myself  ;  but  you  can  forget  and  forgive,  can't  you  ?  "  Ke- 
member  I  was  only  a  boy,  and  now  I  am  a  man,  which 
makes  all  the  difference  in  the  world.  Don't  it  ?  " 


THE   RUSSIAN    REFUGEE.  223 

"  I  might  have  forgiven  you  if,  when  you  went  abroad,  you 
had  acted  honestly  ;  but  to  go  and  write  those  infamous, 
mendacious  epistles  to  your  cousin — you  don't  suppose  I 
can  ever  forget  or  pardon  that  ?  " 

"  Now,  uncle,  what  would  you  have  a  fellow  do  ?  I  went 
and  looked  at  that  old  fellow,  Gordon,  and  was  in  his  store, 
and  made  up  my  mind  that  he  was  a  poor  sort  of  a  cuss — I 
beg  pardon.  I  mean  not  the  right  kind  of  man  to  govern  a 
lone  orphan  like  myself  ;  and  then  one  of  his  clerks  I  got 
acquainted  with  said  he  was  a  regular  tarer,  and  wouldn't 
let  the  boys  have  a  holiday  when  they  wanted  it.  So  I  con- 
cluded that  he  and  I  would  be  better  friends  if  we  stayed 
apart.  I  knew  it  wouldn't  be  so  hard  parting  if  we  never 
got  acquainted." 

"  Very  kind  of  you,  I  am  sure  ;  and  I  am  certain  Mr.  Gor- 
don would  feel  indebted  to  you,  if  he  knew  what  a  narrow 
escape  he  had  had.  But,  to  judge  from  some  of  your  ex- 
pressions, I  should  say  your  boasted  reformation  hasn't 
struck  very  deep,"  remarked  his  uncle  at  this  stage  of  the 
young  man's  fluent  exculpation  of  himself.  Indeed,  Mi*. 
Hastings  had  not  interrupted  him,  because  he  wished  from 
his  talk  to  find  out  how  he  really  stood,  having  little  doubt 
but  that  he  would  condemn  himself  out  of  his  own  mouth. 

"  Well,  uncle,  I  suppose  you  are  willing  to  be  friends,  and 
let  by-gones  be  by-gones  ;  so  if  you  have  nothing  more  to 
say  to  me,  I  will  order  out  Nero  and  give  Elsie  a  drive,  I  so 
want  to  have  a  talk  about  old  times  with  her. "  Saying  which, 
the  young  man  put  his  unlighted  cigar  in  his  mouth,  and 
started  toward  the  door. 

"  Not  so  fast,  my  good  sir.  I  must  know  more  of  your 
past  life,  and  have  some  good  proofs  that  you  are  really 
reformed,  before  I  admit  you,  even  temporarily,  as  a  mem- 
ber of  my  family.  How  do  I  know  that  you  are  a  fit  asso- 
ciate for  your  cousin,  or  these  young  ladies?  " 

"  Well,  I  declare,  uncle,  you  are  a  regular  Bluebeard,  to 


224  THE   RUSSIAN   EEFUGEE. 

treat  your  own  sister's  child  that  way.  Don't  you  wish  to 
help  me,  when  I  am  trying  to  do  better  ?  "  This  was  said 
in  a  half-pathetic  way,  at  the  same  time  the  ferrit-like  eyes 
under  the  shaggy  brows  were  watching  the  effect  of  his 
words. 

"  No  nonsense ! "  thundered  Mr.  Hastings,  thoroughly 
roused  from  his  usual  calm  self-control.  "  Don't  dare  to 
mention  my  sister's  name,  which  you  have  disgraced, "and, 
lowering  his  voice,  "  even  more  deeply,  I  fear,  than  any  of 
us  know  or  suspect.'  Sit  down,  I  tell  you,  once  for  all,  and 
answer  my  questions,  or  else  leave  the  house  at  once." 

The  nephew  dropped  into  a  chair  unwillingly,  and  sat 
eyeing  his  relative  in  a  half-sullen,  half-conciliatory  way. 
It  was  easy  to  see  that  he  was  exercising  great  control  over 
his  naturally  passionate  and  vengeful  disposition — having 
an  end  to  gain,  which  he  considered  worth  the  effort. 

Mr.  Hastings  drew  his  chair  to  the  table,  and  motioned 
his  nephew  to  do  the  same  ;  then  taking  out  writing  materi- 
als, he  said,  quietly  :  "I  am  not  disposed  to  throw  even  a 
pebble  in  the  way  of  the  meanest  of  God's  creatures  which 
is  trying  to  rise  in  the  scale  of  being — much  less  would  I 
Ho  it  to  one  in  whose  veins  runs  the  same  race-blood  as  in 
my  own.  But  I  know  you,  Henry  Esmond  ;  your  life  has 
been  one  of  duplicity  and  wrong-doing.  Whence  you  de- 
rive the  degenerate  blood,  God  only  knows,  for  your  mother 
Avas  as  true  a  soul  as  ever  lived  in  flesh  ;  but  if  you  have 
reformed,  as  you  claim,  you  must  prove  it  by  something 
better  than  mere  words.  I  propose  to  trace  up  your  life 
since  leaving  here,  categorically,  step  by  step.  So  answer 
my  questions,  and  beware  how  and  what  you  answer ;  for  I 
shall  take  steps  to  verify  your  statements." 

At  the  expiration  of  half  an  hour,  Mr.  Harry  Esmond  left 
the  library  with  a  b'itter  imprecation  on  his  lips,  and  a 
somewhat  less  confident  expression  on  his  face,  as  he  pro- 
ceeded to  find  his  cousin.  She  was  on  the  veranda  water- 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  225 

ing  some  favorite  plants,  alone  ;  for  the  St.  Johns  party  had 
retired  early,  being  somewhat  fatigued,  excepting  Roland, 
•who  had  been  improving  the  time  by  giving  Elsie  a  graphic 
history  of  the  day's  adventures — even  admitting  that  he 
had  locked  wheels  with  a  farmer's  wagon,  but  claiming  that 
he  did  it  on  purpose,  just  to  see  the  old  fellow's  annoyance. 
"  It  was  as  good  as  the  opera,  you  know,  to  see  the  expres- 
sion of  the  rustic  countenance,  when  he  found  he  was  fast, 
and  his  scraggy  horses  couldn't  budge.  I  wouldn't  have 
missed  it  for  anything." 

"How  could  you,  Roland?  Why,  it  was  a  dangerous 
thing  to  do." 

"  Oh,  no,  for  we  had  a  very  strong  carriage  ;  but  don't 
tell  your  father,  or  he  won't  let  me  have  the  team  again, 
and  I  want  to  drive  you  to-morrow  or  next  day." 

Roland  had  just  disappeared  for  more  water,  when  her 
cousin  came  seeking  her ;  and  Elsie  saw  at  once  by  his  face 
that  something  was  wrong. 

"Do  you  want  to  see  me,  Harry?"  she  said,  speaking 
the  name  with  an  effort ;  for  she  could  not  as  yet  feel  quite 
at  home  with  this  bearded  stranger,  who  resembled  the 
smooth-faced  lad  who  had  left  her  so  many  years  ago  in 
nothing  but  the  restless  eyes  and  the  vivacity  of  manner 
which  was  as  marked  in  the  man  as  it  had  been  in  the  youth. 

"Yes,  Elsie,  my  dear  cousin  ;  the  old  gentleman  is  un- 
reasonable, and  I  want  you  to  intercede  for  me." 

She  stopped  him  in  the  full  stream  of  his  lucid,  easy 
speech  by  raising  her  hand.  "  Harry,  you  must  not  speak 
of  my  father  that  way.  I  will  not  listen  to  it !  " 

"  Why  ?  "  he  exclaimed,  really  astonished.  "  Oh,  I  know  : 
you  object  to  his  being  called  the  '  old  gentleman ' ; "  and 
here  his  laugh  rather  grated  on  her  sensitive  ear.  "Well, 
then,  to  please  you  coz,  you,  remember,  not  him  by  a — well, 
all  right.  My  uncle,  then,  says  that  I  must  leave  to-night. 
He  says  that  you  have  too  many  cares  on  your  mind  at  pres- 
15 


226  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

ent  to  attend  to  any  more  guests.  But  you  don't  mind  one 
more,  Elsie.  It  makes  me  feel  bad,  after  coming  so  far,  not 
to  be  allowed  to  stay  and  rest  awhile  in  the  old  home."  Here 
he  looked  at  her  with  the  pleading  glance  which  in  boyhood 
times  always  conquered  her  and  served  to  bring  him  out  of 
many  a  trouble  with  her  father. 

"  I  think,  Harry,  that  father  must  have  some  other  rea- 
son, for  he  is  justice  and  hospitality  itself.  Were  your  an- 
swers to  his  questions  satisfactory  ?  " 

"  Well,  now,  that's  a  good  one ;  as  if  they  could  be  satis- 
factory with  such  an  old — I  mean,  he  put  me  in  the  wit- 
ness box  and  fairly  turned  me  inside  out.  I  told  you  I'd 
reformed.  I'm  looking  up,  but  a  fellow  can't  do  everything 
all  at  once.  I  can't  be  as  good  as  him  in  a  day,  'tain't  rea- 
sonable, and  I  don't  mean  to,  either.  I  mean  if  you'll  only 
let  me  stay  here  for  a  while  I  know  I  can  satisfy  you  both 
that  I  have  really  reformed,  and  actions  speak  louder  than 
words.  Please,  Cousin  Elsie,  you  can  do  anything  with  my 
uncle  ; "  and  here  he  took  her  hand  and  would  have  kissed 
her,  but  she  turned  away  her  head,  with  an  instinctive 
shrinking  from  the  caress,  and  also  conscious  that  Roland 
was  watching  them  from  the  other  end  of  the  long  veranda. 

"  Well,  Harry,  you  must  stay  to-night ;  at  any  rate  it  is 
too  late  to  leave  now  ;  I  will  speak  to  father.  Stay  here  un- 
til I  return." 

His  influence  over  her  was  still  strong,  and  she  felt  it  in 
spite  of  the  lapse  of  years.  And  the  cunning  Australian  had 
known  from  the  first  that  his  prospects  at  the  Hermitage 
depended  almost  entirely  on  his  cousin's  good- will,  as  based 
upon  their  former  intimate  association. 

"  My  child,  I  am  afraid  of  taking  the  risk  and  responsi- 
bility of  giving  this,  by  his  own  confession,  heretofore  dis- 
solute young  man,  the  entrance  to  my  house  and  the  inti- 
macy of  my  guests  and  daughter,  even  if  he  is  your  own 


THE  RUSSIAN   EEFUGEE.  227 

"But,  father,"  urged  Elsie,  "it  will  look  very  strange  and 
even  create  scandal  if  he  should  leave  so  abruptly,  after 
having  dined  with  us,  and  so  plainly  stating  that  he  came 
to  stay  for  awhile  ;  besides,  if  he  has  really  reformed,  think 
how  we  should  reproach  ourselves,  if  we  should  discourage 
his  efforts  to  raise  himself  above  his  past  ?  "  This  argu- 
ment went  home  strongly  to  the  father  and  uncle,  for  the 
proprietor  of  the  Hermitage  was  singularly  sensitive  con- 
cerning anything  which  might  impugn  his  reputation  for 
kindness  and  hospitality. 

"Elsie,  my  dear,  the  young  man  has  shown  no  proofs 
whatever  of  his  reformation  ;  rather,  the  slips  in  his  conver- 
sation, and  indeed,  his  whole  bearing,  seem  to  preclude  any 
such  thought.  We  have  only  his  own  word  for  it,  and  you 
know  from  the  past  how  much  credence  can  be  given  to 
his  statements.  I  have  taken  down  in  full  his  answers  to 
my  questionings,  tracing  him  from  point  to  point  in  his 
wanderings  in  Australia,  where  he  says  he  has  been  engaged 
in  mining  most  of  the  time.  I  intend  writing  to  some 
trusty  friends  out  there  who  will  take  steps  to  verify  these 
statements  of  his,  and  I  propose  to  let  the  answers  to 
these  inquiries  govern  our  future  relations  toward  this  pro- 
fessed repentant  prodigal.  Certainly  it  would  be  only  the 
part  of  common  prudence  to  keep  him  at  arm's  length 
until  these  answers  arrive.  Harry  is  not  in  want  of  money  ; 
indeed,  he  professes  to  have  abundance,  so  he  had  better 
live  at  the  hotel  and  hold  himself  aloof  until  we  receive 
corroboration  of  his  avowals." 

"But,  father,  it  will  be  perhaps  two  months  before  you 
can  hear,  and  think  of  the  risk  of  bad  society  cousin  will 
run  stopping  at  the  hotel,  where  he  will  probably  come  in 
contact  with  some  of  the  evil  influences  that  ruined  his 
boyhood.  He  would  be  infinitely  safer  here.  Do  try  him 
father,  and  let  him  stay  ?  " 

"  My  dear  Elsie,"  said  he,  laying  his  hand  on  her  head, 


228  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

"  it  is  sadly  against  my  judgment,  but  I  cannot  refuse  you, 
especially  as  my  own  heart  speaks  a  word  on  behalf  of  the 
poor  deluded  young  man  who  is  his  own  worst  enemy. 
Let  him  remain  to-night  and  I  will  tell  you  to-morrow  what 
I  have  decided  on  for  him." 

So  the  nephew  triumphed,  and  went  to  rest  feeling  sat- 
isfied that,  to  use  his  expression,  "he  had  taken  the  first 
trick." 


CHAPTER  XVHI. 
PLAYING  WITH  FIRE. 

ST.  PAUL,  MINN.,  June  3,  18—. 

MY  DEAR  Coz:  Hurrah  for  U.  S.,  the  best  country  yet !  I  feel 
this  A.M.  as  if  I  trod  on  air  or  might  take  wing,  and,  spurning  this 
dull  sluggish  clod,  soar  beyond  the  arching  blue,  white  fleeced,  into 
the  rarer  ether  which  savants  tell  us  fills  interplanetary  space.  But 
no,  I  nobly  refrain,  and  will  stay  where  I  am,  for  you  might  need 
me,  and  how  sad  would  be  thy  lot  were  I  not  here.  No  thanks,  you 
are  more  than  welcome  to  my  best  services  at  this  distance.  Distance, 
'tis  naught,  souls  like  ours  rise  superior  to  mere  distance — for  us, 
space  exists  not.  Such  common  obstacles  have  meaning  merely  for 
the  ignoble  crowd  who  cling  to  surfaces,  and  breathe  only  on  super- 
ficies. We,  that  is  you  and  I,  live  in  thoughts,  and  contact  by  soul 
communion.  No,  I  am  not  a  candidate  for  the  post  of  physician  to  a 
lunatic  asylum.  No,  madam.  But  perhaps  you  have  been  intent 
on  mundane  matters  and  concerned  with  vulgar  cares,  and  so  cannot 
soar  this  morning,  so  I  must  fain  descend  to  your  level  and  discourse 
in  matter-of-fact.  We  are  having  a  glorious  time,  and  nature  has  been 
kind,  almost  to  satiety,  so  far  as  weather  is  concerned.  Our  English 
friends  "  rejoice  and  are  exceeding  glad" — quotation  you  observe, 
though  for  the  life  o'  me  I  cannot  place  it  at  this  moment.  Someone 
at  my  elbow  to  whom  I  referred,  says  "  Psalms,"  but  I  say  "  Shake- 
speare," because  he  said  everything.  We  visited  Niagara  and  gazed 
upon  its  turbulent  waters  with  befitting  awe.  The  Britons  looked 
and  wondered,  and  wondered  and  looked,  and  tried  to  find  suitable 
similes,  but  nothing  came  until  someone  said,  "  'tis  time  for  lunch," 
and  so  to  lunch  we  went !  What  a  marvel  it  is !  I  mean,  of  course, 
Niagara,  not  lunch — no,  the  bill  was  the  marvel  there.  But  we  have 
been  everywhere,  and  seen  nearly  everything,  and  "still  our  wonder 
grows" — think  that's  a  quotation,  but  not  quite  sure  ;  give  me  credit 
for  it,  if  it  is. 

This  is  a  charming  region,  and  Mr.  T says  he  would  be  almost 


230  THE   KUSSIAN   EEFUGEE. 

willing  to  live  in  Minneapolis  for  the  remainder  of  his  career.  Just 
think  of  that — such  an  acknowledgment  for  an  Englishman,  and  a 
Londoner  to  boot !  We  may  decide  to  go  on  to  California,  certainly 
we  shall  visit  Salt  Lake  and  the  Mormons,  and  so  in  my  next  I  may 
tell  you  something  about  that  many-wived  city.  Now  a  word  for 
yourself,  Coz.  Do  you  often  go  to  visit  those  stranger  folks  that  you 
sojourned  with  when  you  ran  away — no — strayed  away  from  home 
last  winter  ?  Didn't  I  promise  for  you  that  you  would  tell  me  all 
about  it  when  I  came  back  from  England.  No  doubt  you  forgot  it 
in  the  exuberance  of  your  joy  at  seeing  me  again  after  so  long  an  ab- 
sence. However,  I  want  you  to  write  and  make  amends  for  it  by 
sending  me  a  full  account  in  your  next,  and  if  I  find  I  cannot  keep 
the  secret,  why  I  will  get  Ellen  here  to  help  me  keep  it  for  you. 
By  the  way,  you  ought  to  tell  me,  because  I  have  decided  to  locate 
in  Melville,  and  so  I  want  to  know  everybody,  and  those  secret  folks 
may  not  yet  have  engaged  any  doctor.  By  the  way,  how  would  you 
like  Ellen  for  a  cousin.  I  begin  to  think — hold  your  ear  close  so  no 
one  else  can  hear,  that  she  is  my  P.  C. 

Your  most  loving  cousin, 

WARREN  SEAMAN. 

"  Father,  read  this ;  Warren  is  engaged  to  Ellen  Thomp- 
son, at  least  I  think  so  by  his  letter.  Here  it  is." 

"What  does  he  mean,  my  dear,  by  P.  C.  ?  " 

"  Oh,  physiological  complement  ;  and  I  have  heard  him 
say  that  whenever  he  met  with  his  P.  C.,  he  would  engage 
himself  forthwith." 

"  I  suppose  he  meant  if  the  P.  C.  would  have  him  ?  "  said 
Mr.  Hastings. 

"  No  such  proviso  on  the  part  of  the  modest  young  man, 
for  he  insisted  that  if  she  was  really  and  truly  his  P.  C., 
she  could  not  help  herself ;  she  must  have  him,  the  attrac- 
tion would  be  so  strong.  It  is  one  of  his  funny  theories." 

Harry,  the  other  cousin,  was  still  at  the  Hermitage,  and 
to  all  appearance  likely  to  remain.  He  had  contrived  to 
ingratiate  himself  into  the  good  graces  of  everyone  in  the 
house  except  Mrs.  Wagram,  who  fairly  detested  him,  but 
yet  could  give  no  reason  for  it.  She  said  he  reminded  her 


THE   RUSSIAN    REFUGEE.  231 

of  some  one  she  hated,  and  that  was  all  she  would  say 
about  it.  Elsie  would  frequently  observe  her  studying  and 
watching  him  at  a  distance,  much  as  a  cat  will  contemplate 
a  coveted  bird,  into  which  it  longs  to  put  its  talons.  And 
somehow  the  feeling  seemed  to  be  fully  reciprocated  by 
the  young  Australian  ;  for  after  one  or  two  attempts  to  in- 
sinuate himself  into  the  good  graces  of  the  Gallic  lady, 
Harry  Esmond  studiously  avoided  her,  and  seemed  anxious 
to  escape  her  observation. 

"  He  is  no  good,  he  is  one  bete  noire,"  remarked  the  dame, 
one  day,  to  the  housemaid  in  Elsie's  hearing. 

Esmond  was  a  capital  rider,  and  his  white  horse  Nero 
could  be  seen  very  frequently  bearing  his  master  hither  and 
thither — sometimes  at  a  break-neck  speed,  as  some  of  the 
staid  country  folks  thought.  Occasionally,  his  cousin  would 
accompany  him,  but  not  so  often  as  he  wished  ;  for  she  knew 
that  her  father  did  not  desire  it — at  least,  did  not  wish  much 
intimacy  with  the  young  man  until  he  heard  from  Australia. 
Harry  seldom  spoke  to  his  uncle,  indeed  they  instinctively 
avoided  each  other  ;  although,  had  the  latter  followed  his 
natural  promptings,  he  would  have  given  heart  and  hand  in 
helping  the  young  man  to  lead  a  good,  useful  life.  Once, 
indeed,  he  had  half  hinted  that  Harry  would  do  better  to 
take  a  situation  or  set  to  work  in  earnest  at  some  useful 
calling  ;  but  the  nephew  showed  such  a  disinclination  to 
converse  on  the  topic  that  it  was  not  resumed,  and  Mr. 
Hastings  felt  all  his  suspicions  return  in  full  force,  and 
looked  forward  anxiously  to  the  expected  communications. 

Mrs.  St.  Johns  and  her  daughters  were  charmed  with  Mr. 
Esmond — "  such  a  well-behaved,  distingue-looking  young 
man,  and  so  free  with  his  money.  Quite  an  acquisition  to 
our  society,  my  dear.  And  supposing  your  cousin  was  a 
little  fast  ?  Why,  Elsie,  all  young  men  are  fast,  sooner  or 
later,  and  they  make  none  the  worse  husbands.  You  know 
Mr.  Whitely,  the  banker,  that  you  met  at  our  house.  He  was 


232  THE   KUSSIAN   KEFUGEE. 

one  of  the  wildest  young  men,  and  everybody  prophesied 
evil  of  him,  and  said  he  would  never  come  to  any  good  ; 
yet  he  married  a  lovely  girl,  Clara  Howard,  the  belle  of 
our  set,  and  is  an  exemplary  husband  and  father." 

And  the  good  lady  smiled  with  an  air  of  calm  wisdom  at 
Elsie  and  her  daughters,  as  if  she  had  uttered  profound 
truths. 

Poor,  thoughtless  butterfly  of  fashion,  living  on  the  mere 
surface  of  things,  she  little  suspected  the  inner  history  of 
the  Whitely  marriage.  She  little  knew  the  amount  of 
money  which  found  its  way  periodically  into  the  pockets 
of  a  certain  respectable,  intensely  respectable,  black-robed 
individual  as  hush-money — blackmail,  if  you  will — in  order 
to  render  the  wealthy  banker  safe  from  revelations  con- 
nected with  his  early  life,  which  if  known  might  seriously 
mar  his  domestic  and  social  bliss.  Ketribution  ?  Aye,  it  stalks 
a  ghost,  but  'tis  dreadfully  certain  ;  and  when  its  hand,  bodi- 
less and  immaterial  as  it  seems,  touches  the  culprit,  it  brings 
a  chill  like  that  of  the  charnel-house.  A  marriage  !  Great 
heavens !  what  a  hideous  mockery  of  a  word  which  should 
mean  so  much,  involving  such  responsibility.  On  the  one 
side,  a  blas6  mind,  withered  heart,  selfish  instincts,  a  dis- 
eased body  and  a  haunting  memory,  a  wretched  worn  out 
affair — a  prematurely  used  up  vehicle,  revarnished  to  sell. 
On  the  other,  a  girl's  trusting  heart,  given  to  one  that 
she  believes  pure  and  virtuous,  mentally  and  physically,  as 
herself  ;  in  short,  an  Admirable  Crichton — the  one  man  of 
all  the  world.  Such  had  been  the  Whitely-Howard  mar- 
riage— a  great  social  event  of  a  few  years  before,  and  to  which 
Mrs.  St.  Johns  referred  in  such  eulogistic  terms.  To  be 
sure,  Clara  did  look  pale  and  care-worn,  and  was  a  good  deal 
of  an  invalid,  and  her  two  children  were  sickly ;  but  of 
course  the  skeleton  was  kept  carefully  in  the  closet,  and  as 
usual  all  except  the  few  were  hoodwinked. 

Mrs.  St.  Johns  was  a  managing  woman,  and  fond  of  plan- 


THE   RUSSIAN    EEFUGEE.  233 

ning  other  people's  lives  for  them  ;  and,  having  decided  on 
Elsie  as  a  daughter,  she  was  fast  making  up  her  mind — by 
no  means  a  very  formidable  operation,  considering  the  size 
of  the  material — that  she  would  like  the  gay,  witty,  wealthy 
cousin  for  a  son.  As  to  which  of  the  girls  was  to  be  offered 
up  to  the  Moloch  of  expediency,  she  had  not  yet  decided. 
At  present,  she  rather  hoped  the  gentleman  would  fancy 
Alf  ;  as  Angie,  being  more  distinguished-looking,  and  withal 
more  amenable  to  the  maternal  influence,  might,  by  skilful 
manoeuvring,  secure  a  title,  or  at  least  a  husband  high  in 
diplomatic  rank. 

Harry  Esmond  and  Eoland  had  become  fast  friends  and 
constant  companions.  The  former,  with  his  varied  experi- 
ence, knew  exactly  how  to  influence  such  a  man  as  Roland, 
who,  being  exceedingly  vain  and  proud  of  his  supposed 
knowledge  of  the  world,  of  which  he  really  knew  nothing, 
was  an  easy  prey  for  any  designing,  unscrupulous  companion 
who  could  gain  his  confidence.  The  young  men  were  out 
a  great  deal  together,  and  spent  many  evenings  in  Melville, 
not  returning  until  late  at  night.  Mr.  Hastings  watched 
this  growing  intimacy  with  much  uneasiness,  knowing  how 
weak  and  easily  influenced  young  St.  Johns  was,  and  almost 
compelled  to  believe  his  nephew  utterly  unprincipled,  in 
spite  of  fair  appearances.  He  did  not  feel  justified  in 
speaking  to  Mrs.  St.  Johns  on  the  subject,  dreading  her 
reproaches,  if  she  believed  his  suspicious  correct,  and  her 
want  of  discretion  in  any  case  ;  and  he  knew  how  entirely 
useless  any  remonstrance  would  be,  addressed  to  Eoland. 
So  there  was  nothing  for  it  but  to  wait  with  the  best  grace 
possible  for  the  arrival  of  the  expected  letters  from  Aus- 
tralia, wilich  would  authorize  decisive  action  at  once,  or 
else  be  a  warrant  for  believing  in  the  reformation  of  the 
prodigal. 

One  thing  Mrs.  St.  Johns  was  cognizant  of,  which  the 
others  were  not,  and  which  did  excite  some  little  maternal 


234  THE   KUSSIAN   EEFUGEE. 

alarm  occasionally;  and  that  was  Eoland's  impecunious 
condition  since  he  had  formed  the  new  acquaintance.  He 
was  nearly  always  "  strapped,"  to  use  his  expression — which 
word  horrified  her  fastidious  ears  much  more  than  the  fact 
alarmed  her  judgment.  She  was  frequently  appealed  to  for 
loans  and  advances,  and  occasionally  the  amounts  were 
considerable.  She  demurred  and  remonstrated  ;  but  only 
sons  are  not  easily  refused,  and  so  the  result  was  usually 
the  same — concession  on  her  part,  and  victory  on  his.  Hav- 
ing a  liberal  private  income,  independent  of  her  husband, 
the  fond  mother  could  gratify  the  son  without  letting  any 
one  else  into  the  secret. 

"  Some  investments,  which  will  yield  handsomely  by-and- 
by,  but  money  needed  constantly  for  improvements  now. 
Rich  returns,  in  which  you  will  share,  after  a  while,  mother," 
was  his  usual  answer  in  substance,  though  occasionally 
varied  in  style.  Besides,  it  was  hinted  to  the  lady  bounti- 
ful that  these  investments  had  some  mysterious  relation  to 
the  success  of  his  suit  with  Elsie,  which  served  to  render 
the  fond  parent  more  pliant  and  yielding  than  she  might 
have  been  otherwise. 

Early  in  their  acquaintance,  Roland  had  been  induced  to 
confide  to  his  companion  his  ardent  admiration  for  Elsie, 
and  determination  to  win  her  ;  and  Harry  had  vowed  to 
further  his  suit  in  every  way  possible. 

"  She  shall  be  yours,  my  boy,"  he  exclaimed,  clasping  his 
hand  warmly  ;  "  and  Harry  Esmond  never  goes  back  on 
his  word,  when  he  gives  it  to  a  friend  !  Damn  it  if  he 
does !  " 

The  young  man  never  used  profane  language  in  the  house, 
or  in  the  presence  of  ladies  ;  but  somehow,  outside  with 
Roland,  he  was  not  so  scrupulous,  and  the  latter  rather  in- 
clined to  regard  it  as  a  sign  of  confidence  and  fellowship. 

"  Why,  I  know  Elsie  better  than  anyone  else  in  the  world  ; 
I  was  brought  up  with  her,  and  have  more  influence  with 


THE    RUSSIAN    REFUGEE.  235 

her  than  anybody  else.  Yes,  you  shall  be  my  cousin  ;  de- 
pend upon  it,  if  you'll  only  be  guided  by  me." 

Elsie  was  really  attached  to  her  cousin,  in  spite  of  the 
cruel  duplicity  he  had  been  guilty  of  toward  her  father  and 
herself.  She  had  a  woman's  faith  in  the  reality  of  his  refor- 
mation— perhaps  because  she  ardently  wished  it.  She  had 
watched  him  pretty  closely  since  he  had  returned,  and  her 
faith  grew  stronger.  Once  she  had  noticed,  on  a  starlit 
morning,  when  restlessness  induced  her  to  leave  her  couch 
and  sit  by  the  window,  the  figures  of  two  young  men  com- 
ing softly  toward  the  house.  At  first  alarmed,  she  recog- 
nized them  when  they  came  nearer,  and  a  cold  chill  of  ap- 
prehension passed  over  her,  she  could  not  tell  why,  and  a 
strong  suspicion  of  her  cousin  took  possession  of  her  for  a 
few  moments  ;  but  she  resolutely  repressed  the  feeling, 
although  deciding  to  speak  to  Harry  in  the  morning,  and 
let  him  know  that  she  had  seen  them.  This  she  did,  when 
the  gentleman  laughed  and  called  Roland,  who  was  near, 
declaring  that  they  had  been  out  walking,  and  had  fallen 
asleep  in  the  warm  night,  on  sitting  down  to  rest,  having 
been  utterly  unconscious  of  the  lapse  of  time,  until  Eoland 
waked  up,  to  discover  it  was  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  ; 
and  then,  of  course,  they  made  their  way  home. 

It  might  have  been  observed,  by  an  uninterested  looker- 
on,  that  Roland  looked  quite  astonished  at  Harry's  state- 
ment, and  blushed  somewhat  when  asked  to  corroborate  it ; 
but  if  Elsie  did  see  this,  she  attributed  it  to  the  young 
man's  natural  annoyance  at  having  been  so  caught 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

A  PASSAGE   AT  ARMS. 

IT  was  five  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  Elsie  was  up  and 
dressed.  The  day  was  opening  clear  and  bright,  although 
with  a  promise  of  sultry  heat,  not  uncommon  to  late 
June. 

"  What  a  superb  morning  for  a  gallop,"  she  said  to  her- 
self— "  just  the  thing.  So  if  you  are  agreed,  Gyp,  off  we 
go  to  the  table-rock  and  back,  before  breakfast." 

A  moment  later,  she  was  in  the  stable  speaking  to  Gyp, 
who  neighed  joyfully,  and  seemed  by  his  restless  motions 
to  be  as  anxious  as  she  for  one  of  their  old-time  gallops. 
For  since  the  visitors  had  been  at  the  Hermitage  the  black 
steed  had  often  missed  his  daily  exercise  with  his  young 
mistress,  or  had  to  submit  to  being  taken  out  by  James 
merely  for  a  mile  or  so.  James  was  on  hand,  and  soon  the 
rider  was  on  the  saddle,  and  away  they  went  at  a  rattling 
pace  in  the  direction  of  the  table-rock.  Never  had  the  air 
felt  more  bracing  and  stimulating  ;  for  a  shower  in  the 
early  night  had  laid  the  dust,  and,  as  it  were,  washed  the 
atmosphere.  Every  bush  seemed  alive  with  some  form  of 
life,  and  nature  wore  her  wondrous  dress  of  deepest 
green. 

As  they  neared  a  cross-road,  not  far  from  the  great 
ravine,  Gyp's  small  ears  were  suddenly  thrown  forward,  as 
if  some  new  sound  had  reached  them  ;  and  a  moment  later, 
his  rider  became  aware  of  the  measured  beat  of  hoofs 
coming  steadily  from  the  east.  It  became  a  question 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  237 

which  should  reach  the  crossing  first ;  for  the  travellers 
were  as  yet  hidden  from  each  other  by  intervening  trees 
and  clumps  of  bushes. 

At  length  the  sound  came  rapidly  nearer,  and  a  horseman 
dashed  across  the  road,  about  fifty  feet  in  advance  of  her. 
He  seemed  in  urgent  haste,  but  gave  a  side  glance  as  he 
passed,  and  a  second  later  had  reined  up  so  suddenly  as  to 
bring  his  steed  rearing  in  the  air  like  an  equestrian  statue, 
and  seriously  imperilling  the  rider's  seat. 

"  Miss  Hastings  !  Is  it  possible  ?  A  moment  earlier  or 
later,  and  I  should  have  missed  seeing  you  !  "  exclaimed  the 
Russian,  as  Elsie  at  once  perceived  it  to  be  ;  and  then,  as  his 
cap  was  raised,  she  could  not  help  seeing  the  painful  blush 
that  overspread  the  features  which  had  given  radiant  em- 
phasis to  the  joy  his  words,  and  the  tone  more  than  the 
words  had  expressed  at  seeing  her.  She  felt,  as  once  before, 
that  he  feared  his  frankness  had  offended  her,  and  has- 
tened to  reassure  him. 

"  A  delightful  morning  to  meet  one's  friends,  Mr.  Adolph ; 
and  I  am  particularly  glad,  for  I  wanted  ever  so  much  to 
inquire  about  your  father,  and  Sophia  and  her  mother. 
How  are  they  all  ?  Well  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,  quite  well ;  but  do  you  go  to  the  table-rock  ? 
May  I  ride  with  you,  and  tell  you  of  our  friends  ?  " 

"  Certainly,  if  it  will  not  detain  you.  I  am  only  taking  a 
gallop  before  breakfast." 

"  I  shah1  be  so  glad.  It  will  not  detain  me.  I  can  make 
it  up,"  and  then  lowering  his  tone  :  "  Miss  Hastings,  I  have 
news  to  tell  you ;  you  will  be  glad,  and  it  will  give  my  aged 
father  delight.  '  Slava  Bogu  '-r-he  had  never  used  a  Russian 
phrase  or  word  to  her  before,  but  she  could  see  that  he 
was  excited — Ivan  Petrovich  has  escaped  from  Siberia,  and 
is  on  his  way  here.  The  blood-hounds  will  be  after  him ; 
but  he  will  be  safe  with  us.  We  have  saved  many  a  poor 
victim,  and  the  great  Czar  has  been  often  foiled." 


238  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

He  spoke  triumphantly,  and  his  eyes  gleamed  with  a 
fierce  light. 

"But  I  do  not  know  him,  do  I  ?  Oh,  yes  :  he  is,  he  must 
be,  Nadia's  husband.  Is  it  really  so  ?  Has  Sophia's  father 
come  back  ?  " 

She  checked  her  horse  to  a  full  stop  in  her  eagerness, 
her  face  almost  rivalling  his  own  in  its  earnest  glow. 

"Yes,  yes,  'Slava  Bogu,'  Sophia's  father  is  even  now 
perhaps  in  New  York." 

"  How  delightful !  How  I  should  like  to  see  dear  little 
Sophia's  face,  when  she  sees  her  father !  She  has  never 
seen  him,  I  believe." 

'•'  Not  since  she  was  three  years  old,  and  she  is  thirteen 
now.  Ten  years  exile  in  Siberia  !  It  makes  one's  blood 
boil.  He  was  guilty  of  nothing  but  denouncing  wrong  and 
bribery  and  corruption.  Such  language  as  your  patriots 
use  every  day  sent  him,  this  husband,  this  father,  this 
friend,  to  Siberia.  Siberia  !  Oh,  you  cannot  tell  what  that 
word  means,  Miss  Hastings.  It  means  death,  or  worse  than 
death." 

"  But  then  he  has  escaped,  you  say.  That  is  a  grand 
thing,  and  no  one  can  touch  him  in  this  land  of  freedom." 

"  True,  that  is  a  glorious  fact ;  but  I  must  see  your  father, 
and  know  if  he  can  be  interfered  with  by  the  Eussian 
government." 

"I  am  sure  we  shall  be  glad  to  give  any  help — that  is,  I 
mean  my  father  will  aid  you  in  any  way  in  his  power." 

"I  know  you  will,  and  I  thank  you,"  laying  his  hand  on 
his  heart.  "  You  must  both  come  and  see  Ivan,  and  hear 
his  story.  It  will  be  a  wonderful  story." 

The  table-rock  was  reached  ;  and,  after  drinking  in  the 
varied  beauty  of  the  landscape  from  the  deeply-wooded 
chasm  beneath  in  its  vast  depths  and  extent,  to  the  arching 
blue  above,  transparent,  clear  without  a  single  cloud,  and 
around  and  around  as  far  as  the  bounding  horizon  gave 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  239 

permission  to  the  roaming  vision,  they  turned  to  retrace 
their  steps,  and  dashed  off  at  a  free  galloping  pace. 

"  I  was  just  from  the  office  with  the  letter  to  ine  bearing 
the  good  tidings.  How  glad  they  will  all  be  ! " 

"  Now,  you  must  leave  me  here,  and  take  the  news  as  fast 
as  possible.  Here  are  the  cross-roads,"  said  Elsie,  check- 
ing Gyp  at  the  point  where  they  had  met  before. 

He  looked  as  though  he  would  like  to  travel  further  with 
her,  but  he  checked  the  feeling. 

"I  am  selfish — you  are  right.  Miss  Hastings  always  is. 
They  have  aright  to  know  as  soon  as  possible.  But  you  will 
come  and  see  us  soon,  you  and  your  father  ?  We  hoped 
you  both  might  see  your  way  to  join  our  circle  ;  and  then 
you  would  be  free  to  come  and  go  as  you  please,  without 
the  indignity  of  blindfolding.  I  hate  myself  when  I  bind 
your  eyes.  But  you  will  forgive  us  ;  it  is  the  law  of  the 
Grand  Circle  that  no  one  shall  be  admitted  to  the  lodge- 
room  seeing,  unless  a  member  of  the  order.  Our  cave  comes 
under  the  rule." 

" "Well,"  said  his  hearer  laughing,  "it  is  very  certain  I 
did  not  see  much  the  first  time  that  I  was  admitted." 

"  No,  indeed,  Miss  Hastings  ;  it  was  almost  like  being  born 
into  our  order,  and  we  feel  as  if  you  were  one  of  us." 

"  I  know  father  will  want  to  hear  about  Siberia.  When 
will  Ivan  be  home  ?  " 

"  To-morrow,  or  even  to-day.  I  go  to  meet  him  at  once 
on  the  road.  When  will  you  come  ?  " 

He  spoke  so  wistfully  that  she  answered  promptly  : 

"Soon,  very  soon;  I  will  be  at  Gretchen's  cottage  next 
Monday,  at  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  I  have  some- 
thing to  tell  her,  and  perhaps  I  can  leave  word  there  for 
you.  But  I  detain  you,  and  you  must  lose  no  more  time  in 
reaching  home  with  the  news.  Goodby,  with  kind  regards 
to  those  at  home." 

"  Thanks,  oh  thanks  !  I  will  see  that  some  one  is  at  Gret- 


240  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

chen's  to  receive  your  message  for  my  father,"  raising  his 
cap  as  Gyp  leaped  forward,  glad  to  be  free  from  the  fret- 
ting curb. 

Neither  Elsie  nor  her  companion  knew  that  they  had 
been  closely  -watched,  by  a  pair  of  sharp  black  eyes,  from 
behind  a  clump  of  bushes  near  the  cross-roads.  Somebody 
else  had  been  tempted  by  the  beauty  of  the  morn.ing  to  take 
an  early  ride  ;  and  a  few  moments  after  the  black  horse 
reached  the  stable,  a  rider  on  a  white  one  dashed  up,  and 
dismounting  hastily  handed  the  bridle  to  James,  and  saun- 
tered moodily  toward  the  house. 

"So  that's  the  little  game,  my  lady,  is  it?  Well,  it'll  go 
hard  if  I  can't  checkmate  you.  Wonder  who  the  foreign- 
looking  chap  is,  anyhow  ?  Damn  him  !  what  business  has 
he  to  speak  to  her  ?  And  they  seem  so  intimate,  too." 

The  owner  of  the  white  steed  walked  up  and  down  his 
room  in  a  perturbed  state  of  mind  ;  for  evidently  what  he 
had  seen  and  heard  threatened  to  seriously  interfere  with 
his  plans. 

"Monday  at  three  o'clock,  at  Gretchen's !  Who  the  deuce 
is  Gretchen  ?  Well,  I'll  be  on  the  alert,  and  find  out  what 
it  all  means,  anyhow." 

At  the  half  past-seven  breakfast,  no  one  was  more  bright 
and  engaging  than  cousin  Harry,  who  seemed  in  the  very 
best  of  spirits,  and  was  so  pleasant  and  polite  that  even  his 
uncle  began  to  relent  toward  him,  and  to  question  whether 
he  might  not  have  done  him  injustice. 

"He  had  a  good  father,  and  one  of  nature's  noblewomen 
for  a  mother  ;  and  where  his  depravity  comes  from,  I  cannot 
divine.  If  I  was  hasty  in  judging  him,  which  is  possible,  he 
shall  find  me  equally  prompt  in  making  reparation.  Time 
only  can  show.  I  must  wait,"  said  the  proprietor  of  the 
Hermitage  to  himself  ;  "  but  why  no  word  from  Australia  ?  " 

However,  at  least  one  of  the  expected  answers  came  in 
the  morning's  mail ;  for  Elsie  saw  the  Australian  postmark 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  241 

on  it,  and  rather  trembled  as  she  took  it  to  the  library. 
On  the  way  she  met  her  cousin,  who  playfully  snatched  the 
letters  from  her. 

"New  York — Washington,  D.  C.,  and  Melbourne,  Austra- 
lia. Whew  !  now  uncle'll  be  satisfied.  The  Australian  let- 
ter at  last !  There,  run  along  with  them,  little  one  !  Who 
knows  what  may  be  in  that  awful  letter  about  your  poor 
cousin  ?  " 

So  saying,  he  put  the  captured  missives  into  her  out- 
stretched hand,  with  a  smile  which  showed,  Elsie  thought, 
no  fear  of  the  possible  contents. 

"  Sit  down,  my  child,  while  I  read  this  letter  from  Mel- 
bourne. It  may  concern  you — indeed,  both  of  us — and  I 
wish  you  to  know  its  contents." 

So  saying,  her  father  opened  and  read  as  follows  : 

BILLEROO,  NEW  SOUTH  WALES. 

May  29,  18—. 

MY  DEAR  SIR  :  Mr.  Richard  Gordon,  of  Sydney,  wrote  me  some- 
time since,  stating  that  you  were  very  anxious  to  obtain  positive  in- 
formation as  to  the  conduct  and  life  led  by  a  Mr.  Harry  Esmond,  dur- 
ing his  residence  in  Australia.  As  he  had  no  personal  knowledge  of 
the  young  man  himself,  and  knew  only  incidentally  that  he  had  left 
Sydney,  after  a  very  brief  residence,  to  reside  here,  Mr.  Gordon  asked 
me  to  give  you  the  information,  as  a  mutual  friend  of  himself  and  Mr. 
Esmond.  The  young  gentleman  referred  to  lived  here  for  at  least 
five  years,  and  was  engaged  as  a  stcck-broker  and  speculator,  for  which 
he  showed  remarkable  aptitude.  My  acquaintance  with  him  covered 
at  least  three  years,  and  we  had  many  business  transactions  together ; 
so  I  speak  from  personal  knowledge,  when  I  say  that,  while  fond  of 
society,  and  perhaps  what  a  very  straight-laced  individual  might  term 
convivial  occasionally,  he  was  a  gentleman  in  his  deportment,  and 
honorable  in  business  relations,  always  winning  or  losing  with  equal 
composure  ;  and  you  know  his  business  is  one  of  ups  and  downs. 
After  he  left  Billeroo,  I  heard  that  he  made  a  great  deal  of  money 
in  the  mines ;  and  I  am  sure  I  hope  so,  for  he  deserves  good  fortune. 
Any  further  information  will  be  cheerfully  furnished. 

Yours  respectfully, 

ALFRED  HASTINGS,  Esq.  RICHARD  DARLINGTON. 

16 


242  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

Mr.  Hastings'  face  brightened  as  he  read,  and  on  finish- 
ing he  handed  the  epistle  to  his  daughter,  who  perused  its 
contents  with  glistening  eyes. 

"  How  very  satisfactory !  Oh,  how  glad  I  am  !  I  feel 
ashamed  of  my  doubts  of  Harry.  Perhaps  he  has  always 
been  more  sinned  against  than  sinning." 

"  I  too  am  glad  of  this,  Elsie  ;  but  I  should  have  felt  more 
satisfied  if  Gordon  had  written.  However,  it  is  good  so  far 
as  it  goes.  But  I  must  request  that  you  say  nothing  about 
this  until  I  hear  further.  I  have  written  several  letters,  and 
must  await  other  answers  before  taking  any  definite  steps." 

"  But,  father,  cousin  Harry  knows  the  letter  has  come  ; " 
and  she  related  the  incident  in  the  hall,  and  how  quickly 
Harry  recognized  the  postmark. 

"  That  is  a  little  unfortunate,"  said  her  father  ;  "  however, 
leave  matters  to  me,  and  as  no  doubt  he  will  question  you, 
just  refer  him  to  me,  and  say  that  I  am  awaiting  the  arrival 
of  other  letters." 

"But  Harry  has,  I  know,  been  offered  that  position  in  the 
H.  Bank,  if  you  will  go  on  his  bond  ;  and  it  will  be  such  a 
disappointment  to  him,  poor  fellow." 

"  And  do  you  really  think  he  expected  me  to  go  on  his 
bond,  when  it  must  be  at  least  $5,000  ?  It  is  the  position 
of  assistant  cashier,  is  it  not  ?  " 

"  I  think  so  ;  but  it  would  be  such  a  nice  place  for  Harry, 
and  perhaps  would  be  the  turning-point  in  his  life.  It  will 
be  such  a  pity  if  he  should  lose  it." 

"Elsie,  Harry  must  not  ask  me  to  do  such  a  thing.  I  can 
hardly  see  why  the  H.  people  should  offer  a  strange  young 
man  such  a  responsible  position,  unless  it  is  meant  as  a 
compliment  to  me,  having  dealt  so  long  with  them.  How- 
ever, I  must  see  the  president,  and  ascertain  what  represen- 
tations your  cousin  has  made,  in  order  to  induce  such  an 
offer." 

So  saying,  her  parent  bid  her  good-by,  left  the  house, 


THE   RUSSIAN   KEFUGEE.  243 

and  was  driven  rapidly  away  in  the  chaise  which  James 
had  brought  to  the  door  a  few  moments  before. 

"And  he  won't  do  it ;  and  yet  you  say  the  letter  was  very 
favorable,  as  I  knew  it  would  be.  The  darned  suspicious 
old  " — but  seeing  her  startled,  indignant  look — "  curmud- 
geon, the  postman,  I  truly  believe,  has  purposely  lost  the 
other  letters,  or  I  would  be  all  right  with  your  father  by 
this  time." 

Elsie  was  not  naturally  suspicious  ;  but  it  required  all  her 
charity  to  believe  that  the  latter  part  of  the  sentence  was 
the  natural  conclusion  of  the  first. 

"  You  ought  not  to  speak  so  about  the  postman,  Harry  ; 
for  he  has  always  been  very  faithful,  and  done  his  duty  well. 
The  letters  will  be  here  after  a  while,  no  doubt." 

"Of  course  they  will,  cousin  Elsie,  and  everything  will 
be  lovely,  so  far  as  I  am  concerned,"  he  answered,  in  his 
usual  cheery  manner.  "  And  now  tell  me  about  my  other 
cousin,  Warren,  whom  I  have  never  met.  What  sort  of  a 
fellow  is  he  ?  " 

Elsie  enthusiastically  described  the  absent  one,  telling 
what  an  exemplary  student  he  had  been,  and  ended  by  nar- 
rating his  adventures  in  England,  especially  his  encounter 
with  the  burglars,  and  the  subsequent  attempt  to  beat  him. 

"Why,  he  must  be  a  hell  of  a  fellow,"  ejaculated  her 
hearer,  who  had  listened  in  evident  astonishment  to  her  re- 
cital. She  regarded  him  with  amazement,  her  face  flushing 
more  with  vexation  than  anger. 

Seeing  this,  the  culprit  hastened  to  apologize. 

"  Forgive  me,  Elsie.  This  horrid  habit  of  using  slang 
terms  has  clung  to  me  from  my  mining  life,  where  I  was 
surrounded  by  rough  men  ;  but  I  have  nearly  broken  my- 
self of  it,  and  shall  not  offend  you  again." 

"  If  father  once  heard  you  speak  so,  Harry  " — regarding 
him  pityingly — "  all  would  be  over  between  you.  You  know 
such  language  does  not  speak  much  for  reformation." 


244  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

"  I  know  it  don't,  but  I  am  reformed,  for  all  that ;  and  I 
know,  my  sweet,  forgiving  Elsie,  the  sister  and  guardian 
angel  of  my  boyhood,  will  bear  with  her  wayward  cousin." 

She  felt  that  he  was  at  least  in  earnest  this  time ;  for  his 
voice  was  touched  with  emotion,  and  his  better  nature,  to 
which  Elsie  always  had  held  the  key,  for  the  moment  was 
iu  the  ascendant.  Why  is  it  that  the  good  angel  with  so 
many  people  takes  such  frequent  holidays,  and  leaves  his 
black  companion  in  possession?  Perhaps  because  the 
former  has  been  ignored  and  snubbed  and  insulted  so 
often  that  he  becomes  weary,  and  is  compelled  to  leave,  in 
order  to  recruit  his  exhausted  energies. 

Elsie  had  always  been  the  incarnate  representative  of 
Harry  Esmond's  good  angel,  and  he  sometimes  bitterly  re- 
gretted that  he  had  not  heeded  her  warnings,  entreaties, 
and  tears  ;  but  although  he  loved  his  cousin  better  than 
anyone  else  in  the  world,  yet  he  loved  himself  more.  And 
self-love  and  self-indulgence  had  been  the  ruin  of  his  life. 
Perhaps  mankind  will  eventually  find  out  that  the  arch- 
fiend, which  they  have  been  dreading  so  long,  and  about 
whom  so  many  sermons  have  been  preached,  is,  after  all, 
nothing  but  selfishness.  For  is  not  this  the  great  tempter 
to  all  sorts  of  evil  ?  Is  not  this  truly  a  devil  ? 

Mr.  Hastings'  interview  with  the  bank  president,  Mr. 
Edwards,  was  not  quite  reassuring.  The  gentleman  ac- 
knowledged that  he  had  acted  a  little  precipitately  in  offer- 
ing a  position  which  led  directly  to  the  most  responsible 
office  in  the  bank  to  one  who  was  almost  a  stranger. 

"But,  my  dear  Mr.  Hastings,  he  is  so  respectably  con- 
nected, and  has  such  a  good  address,  and  then  the  bank 
had  no  doubt,  from  what  he  said,  that  you  would  go  his 
bond  to  any  amount,  besides  his  being  financially  easy  him- 
self, that  we  did  not  feel  as  if  it  was  an  ordinary  case — in 
fact,  could  not  see  that  we  ran  any  risk  whatsoever." 

"  Well,  Mr.  Edwards,  I  quite  appreciate  the  compliment 


THE  RUSSIAN  REFUGEE.  245 

you  pay  me  by  offering  my  nephew — a  stranger  to  you,  or 
at  most  an  acquaintance  of  a  few  weeks'  standing — so  re- 
sponsible and  important  a  post  ;  but  you  will  oblige  me  if 
you  will  take  no  further  steps  in  the  matter  until  you  see 
me,  or  hear  from  me  directly — that  is,  supposing  the  situa- 
tion will  be  open  to  my  nephew  for  a  few  weeks." 

' "  Certainly,  Mr.  Hastings.  It  will  not  be  necessary  to  fill 
the  office  for  some  weeks,  as  we  have  the  old  assistant  with 
us  yet,  and  he  will  remain  until  we  are  suited." 

That  evening,  a  polite  note  from  Mr.  Edwards  informed 
Esmond  that  the  position  was  not  to  be  filled  for  some 
weeks,  and  that  his  application  should  have  the  first  con- 
sideration. 

The  young  man's  brows  grew  dark  as  he  read,  and  he 
viciously  crushed  the  note  in  his  hand,  and  then  tearing  it 
into  pieces  stamped  on  them  with  somewhat  savage  anger— 
at  least,  so  the  lady  at  the  upper  window  thought ;  and,  five 
minutes  later,  he  was  on  his  horse's  back,  riding  at  a  rapid 
rate  to  town.  Mrs.  Wagram,  the  lady  at  the  window,  quietly 
descended,  picked  up  the  pieces  of  paper  out  of  the  soil, 
and  returning  to  her  room  proceeded  to  arrange  them  to- 
gether, and  then  read  the  note. 

';  Mon  Dieu,  so  the  bon  jeune  homme  try  to  get  into  a 
bank,  does  he  ?  Bien,  tres-bien,  oui  monsieur  ; "  saying 
which,  she  deposited  the  pieces  in  a  little  book,  and  locked 
the  volume  up. 

About  an  hour  later,  two  young  men  were  closeted  in  an 
upper  room  in  the  principal  hotel  in  Melville.  It  was  the 
room  which  Harry  Esmond  had  engaged  the  day  after  ar- 
riving at  the  Hermitage,  and  where  he  spent  much  of  his 
leisure  time  outside  of  the  Hastings  mansion.  It  was  a 
large,  convenient  chamber,  having  a  recess  in  the  end,  con- 
taining a  bed,  which  was  separated  from  the  rest  of  the 
apartment  by  a  heavy  curtain. 

Mr.   Hastings  had  consented   unwillingly  to  allow  his 


246  THE  RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

nephew  to  make  his  home  at  the  family  mansion,  and  so  he 
was  regarded  as  a  member  of  the  family  ;  and  the  fact  of  his 
having  a  room  elsewhere  was  not  suspected  by  either  uncle 
or  cousin.  Only  one  in  the  house  knew  of  it  and  that  was 
his  present  companion,  Roland  St.  Johns.  The  latter  youth 
was  walking  the  floor  with  hasty  strides,  looking  the  picture 
of  chagrin  and  indignation. 

"But  are  you  quite  certain  that  it  was  Elsie  ?  It  is  so 
unlike  her,  that  I  can  hardly  believe  it  ?  " 

"  So  like  her  you  mean.  You  don't  know  her  as  well  as 
I  do.  And  as  to  there  being  any  doubt,  why,  my  dear  fel- 
low, don't  you  suppose  I  know  the  girl  I  was  brought  up 
with  ?  Besides,  I  tell  you  the  horse  was  Gyp,  and  no  other 
lady  was  ever  on  his  back.  No,  no,  it's  just  as  I  tell  you." 

Eoland  stopped  in  his  walk,  and  turning  squarely  round, 
he  looked  his  comrade  full  in  the  face,  his  eyes  glowing  like 
coals. 

"  I  know  it's  ungentlemanly,  as  mother  says,  to  swear  ; "  at 
which  remark  his  hearer's  lip  perceptibly  curled  ;  "but  I 
say,  '  damn  him.'  The  upstart !  I'll  have  it  out  with  him 
yet  Can't  we  find  out  his  name  ?  It  must  be  one  of  those 
queer  people  she  got  acquainted  with  during  the  time  she 
was  laid  up  with  her  sprained  ankle,  when  we  were  on  be- 
fore. " 

"  Shouldn't  be  surprised.  In  fact  I  think  you're  right,  and 
there's  apt  to  be  something  crooked  about  them  or  they 
wouldn't  want  to  keep  hid.  All  right,  old  fellow,"  slapping 
Eoland  heartily  on  the  shoulder,  "we'll  spring  a  trap  on 
the  fellow  yet,  and  perhaps  be  able  to  clap  the  darbies  on 
him.  He's  a  foreign-looking  fellow,  a  Pole  or  Italian,  or 
something  of  that  kind.  They're  pretty  easily  scared,  and 
if  I  were  you,  and  felt  toward  my  cousin  as  you  do,  and  she 
a  girl  of  a  million,  I  tell  you,  why  I'd  just  have  a  talk  with 
the  scoundrel,  and  ask  him  v/hat  he  means." 

"I  should  like  nothing  better,  but  how  shall  I  find  out 


THE    RUSSIAN    REFUGEE.  247 

who  he  is  ?  Trust  me  if  I  get  my  eyes  on  him  I'll  read  him 
a  lesson  ; "  and  here  Roland  looked  very  pugnacious,  and 
his  somewhat  delicate  physiognomy  fairly  flamed  with 
righteous  indignation. 

His  companion  smiled  curiously  to  himself,  to  hide  which, 
he  turned  to  a  drawer  near  him  and  seemed  to  be  busy 
searching  for  something.  Presently  he  produced  a  pack  of 
cards,  and  throwing  them  on  the  table  said,  "  Let's  have  a 
little  game,  to  pass  away  the  time.  I  expect  Dick  and 
maybe  Tom  here  to-night." 

"Well,  I'm  not  very  flush  to-day,  and  Dick  cleaned  me 
out  pretty  well  last  week,  and  the  old  lady  didn't  come 
down  as  freely  as  usual ;  and  indeed,  I  don't  know  but  I 
should  have  been  left  strapped,  only,  I  luckily  thought  of 
the  necessity  of  a  new  ventilating  fan  in  the  shaft  of  our 
gold  mine,  and  her  sympathy  with  the  poor  miners,  suffer- 
ing for  want  of  good  air,  reached  her  pocket ;  but  I  shall 
have  to  go  easy  for  a  while,  or  she  may  suspect." 

Here  the  two  comrades  laughed  very  heartily  in  concert, 
at  something,  and  Esmond  again  clapped  the  other  on  the 
back. 

"  Upon  my  word,  old  man,  you're  improving,  blessed  if 
you  ain't.  Pretty  apt  pupil  I  should  say.  So  the  fan  brought 
the  rocks,  eh  ?  Good — well  the  mine  will  need  new  ma- 
chinery soon,  and  don't  you  forget  it." 

That  night  Elsie  received  a  note  from  her  cousin,  stating 
that  he  had  engaged  a  room  at  the  hotel,  as  he  wished  to 
devote  some  of  his  evenings  to  the  study  of  German  and 
French,  thinking  they  might  be  useful  to  him  when  he  got 
into  the  bank. 

"  But  I  shall  be  at  the  Hermitage  every  day  as  usual,  and 
sometimes  stop  there  if  you  will  allow  me,  but  I  feel  that 
I  must  redeem  some  of  the  time  wasted  in  youth  by  devot- 
ing at  least  a  part  of  my  evenings  to  study.  Bear  with  nie, 
Elsie,  and  help  me,  Elsie,  as  I  know  you  will.  I  hope  soon 


248  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

my  uncle  will  give  up  liis  unjust  suspicions.  What  a  nice 
well-mannered,  gentlemanly  young  man  Mr.  Roland  St. 
Johns  is  ;  I  learn  something  from  him  every  day,  and  I  have 
been  able,  I  think,  to  teach  him  a  thing  or  two,  having 
seen  more  of  the  world  than  he  has. 

"  Ever  your  loving  cousin 


Elsie  could  not  refrain  from  telling  Alf,  who  entered  the 
room  just  then,  what  Harry  said  of  her  brother,  at  which 
that  rather  critical  young  lady  opened  her  eyes  very  widely 
indeed. 

"  Eoland  teach  Mr.  Esmond  some  things  —  how  prepos- 
terous —  unless  meant  in  sarcasm.  The  teaching  on  the  other 
side  is  easy  enough  to  understand,  but  our  Roland  teach- 
ing anybody  !  I  hope  mother  isn't  within  earshot,  or  she 
would  make  it  warm  for  me,  but  you  know  what  I  mean 
Elsie  ;  and  the  only  hope  of  making  anything  of  Roland  is 
to  get  him  a  sensible,  noble  wife,  who  would  develop  the 
better  side  of  him.  I  wish  you  could  be  the  one,  Elsie,  I 
would  so  like  you  for  a  sister." 

"  Thank  you,  dear,  but  Roland  some  of  these  days  will 
meet  with  just  the  right  one  who  will  make  you  as  good  a 
sister,  as  she  will  Roland  a  wife." 

"  It  won't  be  the  same  to  me  by  any  means.  But  I  wish, 
Elsie,  you  would  use  your  influence,  for  I  know  he  thinks 
the  world  of  you,  to  try  and  keep  him  from  going  out  so 
much  in  the  evenings.  I  know  I  plague  him  a  good  deal, 
and  you  know  he  deserves  it,  but  then  he  is  our  only 
brother,"  and  the  speaker's  voice  trembled  a  little,  "  and  I 
know  he  is  weak  and  easily  influenced  by  his  associates,  and 
sometimes  I  fear  something  dreadful  will  happen  to  him. 
Ma  and  Angie  think  he  cannot  go  wrong,  and  believe  all 
he  says.  I  wish  father  was  here." 

Elsie  managed  to  clear  the  way  for  her  visit  to  Gretchen's 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  249 

cottage  on  Monday  afternoon,  and,  thinking  it  would  attract 
less  attention,  decided  to  walk.  Leaving  the  house  quietly, 
she  had  gained  the  side  road  leading  to  the  cottage  when, 
to  her  dismay,  she  heard  her  name  mentioned  in  the  not-to- 
be-mistaken  tones  of.  Roland  St  Johns. 

"  How  delightful.  I  was  out  taking  a  stroll,  you  know, 
and  just  becoming  bored  with  the  trees  and  the  birds  and 
all  that  sort  of  thing — there's  so  much  of  it — when  I  saw 
you  in  the  distance.  At  first,  I  was  not  sure  ;  but  it  gradu- 
ally was  forced  upon  me  that  it  was  yourself,  and  I  was 
jolly  glad,  I  tell  you." 

The  young  man  spoke  earnestly,  and  without  a  shade  of 
embarrassment,  which,  considering  that  he  had  deliberately 
followed  Elsie  from  the  moment  she  left  the  house,  showed 
he  was  improving  in  the  deceptive  art. 

Elsie  tried  hard  not  to  feel  annoyed,  but  yet  it  was  im- 
possible to  express  pleasure  at  the  accidental  meeting.  "  It 
is  a  delightful  afternoon  for  a  walk  ;  and  so  I  have  taken 
the  opportunity  for  a  little  business  errand,  and  shall  meet 
you,  I  suppose,  about  tea-time." 

Roland  had  some  gentlemanly  instincts,  which  had  not 
yet  become  quite  blunted,  and  his  first  impulse  was  to  take 
the  hint,  and  leave  her  to  the  solitude  which  she  evidently 
desired  ;  but  he  was  too  much  aroused  by  what  Esmond  had 
told  him  to  be  very  nice  in  relation  to  minor  points  of  po- 
liteness. 

"  Oh,  you  will  not  be  so  cruel,  I  am  sure,"  he  urged,  in 
his  most  insinuating  tones,  "  as  to  condemn  a  fellow  to  a 
solitary  ramble,  when  I  should  so  enjoy  accompanying  you." 

Elsie  looked  surprised  and  annoyed,  and  did  not  imme- 
diately answer,  and  so  the  young  man  resumed  : 

"  Of  course,  I  would  not  intrude  upon  you  for  the  world  ; 
but  if  you  are  only,  as  I  suspect,  going  to  pay  one  of  your 
charity  visits  to  one  of  those  dear  old  ladies  with  the  rheu- 
matics, or  old  men  with  the  lame  back,  why,  you  know,  I  can 


250  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

easily  stay  outside — anywhere  you  like — until  you  are  ready 
to  return  home." 

Elsie  had  stopped  as  her  companion  pleaded,  utterly  per- 
plexed. Besides,  she  felt  a  vague  sense  of  uneasiness,  a  sort 
of  foreboding  of  evil,  which  she  could  not  account  for.  Per- 
haps it  was  something  peculiar  in  Koland's  manner.  To  be 
sure,  he  was  even  more  polite  than  usual ;  but  his  cheek  was 
flushed,  and  his  eyes  had  a  light  in  them  which  she  had  not 
seen  there  before ;  also,  he  spoke  with  a  vivacity  which 
was  quite  foreign  to  his  usual  languid  style.  An  unpleasant 
suspicion  crossed  her  mind,  which  was  immediately  con- 
firmed, when  by  chance  his  breath  reached  her  face,  as  he 
bent  toward  her  in  his  half-playful,  half-earnest  remon- 
strance. She  remembered  what  Alf  had  said,  and  the  sis- 
terly anxiety  she  had  manifested  as  to  her  brother's  habits 
of  late,  coupled,  as  it  was,  with  the  earnest  request  that  Elsie 
would  advise  him.  For  a  moment  she  felt  heart-sick  at  the 
thought  of  the  possible  downward  road  upon  which  this 
young  man  might  have  entered  ;  and  this  to  have  taken 
place  while  under  their  roof,  and  as  their  guest !  However, 
her  strong  common  sense  decided  her  line  of  action  the  in- 
stant he  ceased  speaking ;  for  his  unusual  loquacity  gave  her 
time  to  think. 

"  Mr.  Roland,  this  is  a  private  expedition,  and  I  must  go 
alone.  Some  other  time,  I  shall  be  very  glad  of  your  com- 
pany. Besides,"  she  added  hesitatingly,  "I  think  you  had 
better  go  into  the  shade  and  rest  ;  for  you  have  become 
heated  by  walking  fast  under  this  hot  sun,  and  if  you  should 
become  sick  it  would  dreadfully  distress  your  mother." 

"  Oh,  I  never  felt  better  in  my  life.  I'm  not  tied  to  the 
old  lady's  apron-string,  you  know.  I  don't  mind  the  heat." 

"  But  I  do  not  think  you  should  speak  of  your  mother  as 
the  '  old  lady.'  It  doesn't  sound  very  respectful,  does  it  ? 
It  would  hurt  her  feelings  if  she  heard  you,  her  only  son, 
talk  that  way." 


THE    RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  251 

Elsie  spoke  pleasantly,  but  in  a  way  that  showed  her 
companion  that  she  did  not  like  his  remarks.  "How- 
ever, either  you  must  turn  back  or  I  must.  Which  shall  it 
be,  Eoland  ?  " 

The  young  man  looked  sullen  and  baffled  for  a  moment, 
and  then  answered,  more  in  his  usual  manner  :  "  I  go,  cruel 
fair  one  ;  but  why  will  you  be  so  severe  toward  one  who  is 
devoted  to  you  ?  Farewell." 

Elsie  laughed,  saying :  "  Good-by,  until  tea-time,"  and 
hurried  forward  to  make  up  for  lost  time.  She  reached 
the  cottage  in  a  few  moments,  and  found  Gretchen  and  a 
gentleman  sitting  outside,  under  the  big  sycamore-tree 
which  shaded  one  side  of  the  dwelling  from  the  afternoon 
sun.  She  paused  a  second  before  going  forward,  for  their 
faces  were  turned  from  her  ;  but  a  quick  ear  had  detected 
her  step  and  presence,  and  Alex,  the  Russian  hound,  sprang 
joyfully  forward,  almost  alarming  her  by  his  boisterous 
antics.  His  master  at  once  rose  to  his  feet. 

"  Alex  does  not  forget  you.  See,  Miss  Hastings,  you  are 
a  great  favorite  with  him." 

"  The  one  dear  young  lady  !  Mein  Gott,  everybody  und 
everyding  feel  goot  mit  Miss  Elsie  !  "  exclaimed  the  genial 
Gretchen,  as  she  moved  forward  with  all  the  speed  that  her 
rotundity  permitted. 

The  trio,  with  Alex,  were  soon  seated  under  the  grate- 
ful shade  of  the  noble  tree,  asking  and  answering  ques- 
tions. 

"  Miss  Hastings,  it  would  have  pleased  your  kind  heart 
to  have  witnessed  the  coming  into  the  cave  of  Ivan  Sobi- 
eski."  And  the  speaker's  face  glowed  with  the  memories 
he  was  recalling.  "  It  was  sublime  !  After  ten  years,  and 
such  a  ten  years,  to  see  his  wife  and  his  child  !  The  little 
Sophia,  that  was  only  a  baby,  and  now — now,  almost  a  young 
woman ! " 

"  I  would  have  given  anything  to  have  seen  the  poor  fel- 


252  THE   RUSSIAN    REFUGEE. 

low  and  Nadia  and  little  Sophia  together  at  that  first  meet- 
ing," said  Elsie,  in  sympathizing  tones. 

"  Ach,  rnein  Gott !  why  wasn't  I  there  ?  Ivan  will  know 
me.  Ivan  will  know  Gretchen,  Sophia's  foster-mudder." 

"  Why,  did  you  know  Ivan,  Sophia's  father  ?  "  asked  Elsie, 
in  surprise. 

"  No,  Gretchen  never  met  him,  although  he  was  over  here 
as  a  special  envoy  from  the  Grand  Circle  when  Sophia  was 
barely  three  years  of  age,  but  only  remained  a  few  weeks, 
and  on  his  return  to  St.  Petersburg  was  immediately  ar- 
rested and  sent  to  the  mines." 

Adolph  answered  for  Gretchen,  who  had  meant,  Elsie 
began  to  understand,  that  Ivan  must  necessarily  know  of 
her  through  her  intimacy  with  his  wife  and  child. 

Elsie  learned  from  the  visitor  that  Ivan  and  the  Patriarch 
were  very  anxious  to  consult  Mr.  Hastings  with  reference 
to  the  former  becoming  a  citizen  of  the  Eepublic,  and  as  to 
what  degree  of  peril  he  would  incur  by  appearing  openly. 
It  seemed  he  had  decided  never  again  to  visit  his  native 
land,  but  to  make  his  home  in  the  United  States. 

Elsie  knew  that  her  father  had  been  educated  for  a  legal 
career,  but  on  concluding  his  professional  studies  had  de- 
cided not  to  practise  ;  and  so  she  knew  that  he  could  advise 
this  poor  escaped  exile  what  he  had  best  do  under  the 
peculiar  circumstances. 

After  some  general  conversation,  and  a  little  business 
matter  concerning  Hiram,  who  was  out  on  one  of  his  trap- 
ping expeditions,  had  been  attended  to  for  her  father, 
Elsie,  accompanied  by  Adolph,  left  Gretchen's  cottage  for 
home.  Her  companion,  she  was  satisfied,  had  something 
special  to  tell  her,  from  his  manner  ;  but  he  seemed  to 
shrink  from  coming  to  the  point.  At  last  she  happened  to 
give  him  the  necessary  lead  and  help  by  saying  : 

"  Mr.  Adolph,  I  have  thought  since  our  last  meeting, 
that  perhaps  you  and  your  father  might  like  to  have  some 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  253 

of  our  papers  or  magazines ;  if  so,  we  should  be  ever  so 
pleased  to  lend  them  to  you  ?  " 

His  color  rose,  but  whether  with  anger  or  pleasure  she 
could  not  decide  ;  yet  hardly  the  former,  for  it  would  be  un- 
like him  to  resent  such  an  offer. 

"  I  was  about  to  ask  you  a  favor  like  that,  but  you  open 
the  door  for  me.  Thank  you  so  much,  Miss  Hastings.  We 
would  be  glad.  We  both  read  English,"  he  said,  with  just 
a  show  of  pride  ;  "  my  father  very  well,  for  me  not  so  well, 
but  I  want  to  be  more  educated  than  I  am.  I  would  like 
some  books  of  science."  He  slowly  emphasized  the  word. 
"  I  am  fond  of  nature,  I  would  like  to  know  about  the  rocks 
and  plants.  I  do  know  something  about  them  ;  but  other 
men  must  have  found  out  a  great  deal  about  these  things, 
and  I  would  like  to  know  what  they  have  found  out.  Ever 
since  you  told  me  of  the  discovery  which  the  German 
scholar  had  made  about  the  older  rocks,  I  have  wanted  to 
take  up  that  study." 

"  Why,  I  never  mentioned  that  to  you,  did  I?  "  she  asked, 
in  a  perplexed  manner.  "  I  remember  quoting  that  in  a 
conversation  with  a  stranger  last  winter  ;  but  surely  "—and 
she  regarded  him  fixedly — "  surely  you  cannot  be  the  gentle- 
man who  caught  my  horse  for  me  last  winter,  and  helped 
me  out  of  the  snow-bank.  How  ridiculous !  I  verily  be- 
lieve you  are,  and  I  have  never  recognized  you  before.  It 
was  you,  was  it  not  ?  " 

The  Russian  looked  at  her  puzzled  face  with  an  amused 
smile.  "  I  am  afraid  it  was  ;  but  I  unwittingly  have  brought 
that  incident  to  your  memory.  I  did  not  think  of  it  when 
I  spoke." 

"  I  am  so  glad  you  have  cleared  up  the  mystery,  for 
I  was  sure  I  had  seen  you  somewhere  before  the  night 
of  the  fire,  and  this  explains  it.  But  you  looked  so  dif- 
ferent ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  wore  a  full  Russian  winter  costume,  full  beard, 


254  THE  KUSSIAN   EEFUGEE. 

and  all,  but  not  any  mask.  Perhaps  you  think  the  beard 
was  mask  enough  ?  "  and  he  laughed  quietly. 

"  Mr.  Adolph,  I  know  you  don't  like  to  be  thanked,  or  I 
would  thank  you  again  for  the  help  you  afforded  me  that 
day.  But  about  the  books.  I  will  bring  you  books  on 
geology  and  botany." 

"  And  American  history,  please.  I  want  to  take  up  a 
course  of  study  and  educate  myself.  My  life,  as  you  know, 
has  been  peculiar." 

"  I  am  glad  you  like  history,  it  is  a  favorite  study  of 
mine  ;  and  I  will  bring  you  a  volume  I  am  satisfied  you  will 
like,  giving  both  the  facts  and  the  philosophy  in  connection 
with  the  development  of  the  land  of  the  free." 

"  Many,  many  thanks.  But  when  shall  we  see  you  and 
your  father  at  our  home  ?  " 

"  My  father  will  go  to  see  you,  I  think,  shortly  ;  but  we 
cannot  very  well  both  leave  at  the  same  time,  having  guests 
at  present.  I  will  send  the  books  to  Gretchen,  with  a  note 
saying  when  father  will  go  to  the  Cave." 

They  walked  in  silence  for  a  few  moments,  as  Elsie 
observed  that  her  companion  seemed  to  be  inwardly  wrest- 
ling with  some  train  of  thought,  so  absorbed  and  absent- 
minded  did  he  appear.  Presently  he  looked  at  her  with  an 
apologetic  smile. 

"Pardon  me,  but  my  thoughts  were  troubled  about 
something,  and  I  have  committed  a  rudeness  in  seeming  to 
be  inattentive." 

"  Not  at  all ;  but  perhaps  I  can  help  to  solve  your  prob- 
lem. Suppose  you  try  me  ?  That  is,"  she  quickly  added, 
"if  it  is  nothing  particularly  secret." 

"Then  I  will  tell  you,  if  I  may.  I  was  thinking  how  un- 
kindly Fortune  treats  some  of  her  children.  She  brings 
some  up  in  strange  and  obscure  abodes,  like  moles  or  rab- 
bits, with  very  little  education  and  no  social  advantages, 
and  yet  gives  them  a  nature  which  aspires  and  longs  for  the 


THE   RUSSIAN    REFUGEE.  255 

highest  and  the  best  there  is,  yearning  to  burst  the  bonds 
\vhich  trammel  and  hinder  them,  and  to  stand  among 
God's  freemen.  And  to  others,  whose  natures  are  no  bet- 
ter, often  much  inferior,  she  gives  birth,  education,  train- 
ing, social  position,  everything.  Why  is  it  so  ?  " 

He  clenched  his  hand  and  made  a  rapid  gesture  as  if 
the  injustice  of  it  burned  into  his  very  soul. 

She  answered  gently  and  soothingly,  for  her  keen  sense 
of  the  mocking  inconsistencies  of  life  fully  justified  his 
feeling  of  irritation  smarting  under  the  sense  of  wrong. 
"  '  Men  give  titles,  but  nature  gives  true  rank  ;  circum- 
stances give  position,  but  God  endows  the  soul ;  accident 
gives  opportunity,  but  ability  makes  it.'  My  father  gave 
me  this  to  write  for  a  copy  when  I  was  a  child,  and  I  have 
never  forgotten  it.  Those  who  have  developed  and  grown 
in  obscurity  have,  also,  escaped,  the  soul-staining  vices 
which  infest  and  poison  society.  Many  of  our  young  men 
who  go  through  college,  so  my  father  says,  acquire  vicious 
habits  which  far  more  than  counterbalance  the  educational 
advantages  they  have  had.  Yet  I  fear  I  cannot  make  my 
thoughts  plain  ;  but  I  feel  very  strongly  that  the  education, 
training,  social  position,  wealth — all  of  which  the  world 
values  so  highly,  are  not  for  a  moment  to  be  weighed 
against  natural  intelligence,  integrity,  courage,  and  what 
we  call  the  moral  qualities." 

His  kindling  glances  and  intense  expression  of  interest, 
showed  how  he  appreciated  her  words. 

"  I  cannot  dissemble  to  you.  I  have  spoken  of  my  own 
fate,  and  would  fain  take  comfort  from  your  noble  words, 
if  I  dared  think  they  could  apply  to  my  case  in  any  degree  ; 
but  I  fear  not.  I  am  ambitious.  I  would  soar  high.  I  would 
be  worthy  of  the  best  social  life.  But  alas  !  I  am  chained 
to  a  rock,  and  can  neither  break  the  chain  nor  lift  the 
stone." 

"  Mr.  Adolph,  I  have  read  somewhere  of  a  poor  prisoner, 


256  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

who  was  bound  by  cruel  fetters,  and  held  by  a  clanking 
chain  to  the  wall  of  his  cell.  Without  was  the  sunshine, 
the  birds,  the  flowers,  friendship,  home,  and  freedom.  A 
friend  carried  him  a  small  file  hidden  in  a  glove.  That 
tiny  instrument  ate  through  the  binding,  cramping  fetters, 
and  through  the  solid  links  of  the  hideous  chains,  and  the 
captive  was  free.  Can  you  not  find  a  file  and  use  it?  Surely 
it  is  worth  while  ;  freedom  lies  beyond." 

His  form  seemed  to  expand  and  take  on  greater  altitude, 
as  he  asked,  with  dilating  eyes  : 

"  Was  it  a  lady's  glove  that  held  the  file  ?  Oh,  please  tell 
me,  for  if  so,  I  may  indeed  hope." 

She  held  out  her  hand,  saying : 

"  It  was. — Good-by."  For  they  had  reached  the  turn  of 
the  road  in  sight  of  her  home. 

He  raised  the  hand  to  his  lips,  fervently  saying,  "  God 
bless  you,  I  have  found  the  file,"  lifted  his  cap  and  walked 
rapidly  away. 

When  Elsie  parted  from  Eoland  St.  Johns  his  truer  in- 
stincts of  right  and  politeness  urged  him  homeward,  and 
indeed  he  proceeded  for  a  few  moments  rapidly  in  that  di- 
rection. But  the  unfortunate  glass  of  liquor  which  he  had 
taken,  "just  to  steady  his  nerves,"  and  the  heat  of  the  day 
soon  made  the  quick  movements  unpleasant,  and  so  he 
sought  the  grateful  shade  which  a  clump  of  bushes  and  a 
large  beech-tree  made,  and  was  soon  asleep.  He  was  awak- 
ened by  the  sound  of  voices  in  his  vicinity,  and,  as  his  mind 
began  to  clear,  he  easily  detected  the  tones  of  Miss  Has- 
tings' voice  speaking  earnestly  to  some  one.  At  one  time 
he  would  have  pronounced  it  ungentlemanly  to  play  eaves- 
dropper, but  now  Eoland  was  too  intensely  interested  in 
Elsie's  movements  to  have  any  scruple,  and  so  moved  into 
such  a  position  that  he  could  partly  hear  what  was  said, 
and  at  the  same  time  obtain  a  fair  view  of  the  speakers. 
The  conversation  was  rather  obscure  to  him,  but  his  sus- 


THE  RUSSIAN  REFUGEE.  257 

picions  were  confirmed  and  his  jealousy  burned  with  in- 
creased intensity. 

"  Harry  was  right  when  he  put  me  up  to  following  her." 
And  here  the  young  man  indulged  in  some  strong  expres- 
sions with  reference  to  Elsie's  companion,  which  indicated 
how  thoroughly  his  worst  passions  were  aroused.  He  de- 
cided to  follow  them,  and  if  opportunity  offered,  "  talk  to 
that  fellow." 

In  his  excited  condition  he  could  not  see  how  utterly  ab- 
surd such  a  proceeding  would  be,  but  that  "glass"  still 
influenced  his  brain  sufficiently  to  destroy  all  prudence. 
When  he  witnessed  their  parting,  he  was  more  furious  than 
ever,  for  it  so  exactly  confirmed  what  Esmond  had  narrated 
and  which  Koland  had  really  doubted. 

The  Russian  had  traversed  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
after  leaving  Elsie,  when  he  was  astonished  to  see  a  gen- 
tleman, whose  breathing  gave  indications  of  rapid  walking, 
or  even  running,  step  into  the  path  before  him  and  signal 
him  to  stop  by  raising  his  hand. 

"  I  wish  to  speak  to  you  for  a  few  moments,  my  good 
fellow,"  said  the  stranger,  whose  voice  showed  him  to  be 
decidedly  out  of  breath. 

Adolph  paused  immediately,  and  bowed  courteously,  in- 
quiring the  nature  of  the  business. 

"May  I  ask  you  your  name,  if  you  please,  and  when  you 
first  became  acquainted  with  Miss  Hastings  ?  " 

This  was  demanded  in  Roland's  most  aristocratic  style, 
the  manner  in  which  he  usually  addressed  servants  or  those 
he  considered  inferiors. 

Adolph,  who  at  first  had  seemed  a  little  disconcerted, 
flushed  angrily  as  the  speaker  concluded  his  insolent  ques- 
tions, and  taking  a  quick  step  toward  him,  demanded  : 

"  And  who  are  you,  sir,  I  would  like  to  know,  that  pre- 
sumes, in  this  manner,  to  question  me  ?  " 

The  calm,  imperative  tone  of  the  Russian,  and  the  air  of 
17 


258  THE   KUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

disdain  with  which  he  uttered  his  words,  lashed  Eoland 
beyond  all  prudential  considerations. 

"Because,  sir,  I  believe  you  to  be  an  impostor  and  an 
upstart,  that  has  contrived  by  some  underhand  means  to 
win  Miss  Hastings'  confidence.  But  it  is  time  that  her 
friends  interfere.  What  right  have  you,  I  demand,  to  dare 
to  speak  to  her ;  you  don't  belong  to  her  class.  She  is  a 
lady  of  education  and  standing.  Keep  your  attentions  for 
those  in  your  own  class." 

His  hearer  stood  still  as  a  rock  during  this  tirade,  paling 
and  flushing  alternately,  but  as  the  other  concluded  he 
sprang  forward,  and  placing  his  left  hand  on  Roland's  right 
shoulder,  he  held  him  in  a  grasp  of  iron.  Then,  his  eyes  blaz- 
ing like  fiery  globes,  he  hissed  in  low,  determined  tones  : 

"I  take  such  language  from  no  man.  Take  those  words 
back  at  once." 

"  Eelease  me,  you  insolent  scoundrel,"  returned  the  other, 
who  was  not  deficient  in  natural  courage  when  aroused,  and 
was  also  something  of  a  boxer,  having  spent  considerable 
time  in  cultivating  the  manly  art.  "  You  won't  ?  then  take 
that !  "  aiming  his  left  hand  full  at  the  Russian's  head. 

His  blow  was  avoided  by  a  quick  movement  of  his  an- 
tagonist's head,  and  the  next  instant  Roland  was  raised  off 
his  feet  entirely,  and  hurled  to  the  ground  with  a  force  that 
left  him  quivering  like  a  jelly.  Then,  while  lying  on  his 
back,  half  stunned,  he  heard  a  voice  above  him  say,  in  mock- 
ing tones : 

"  When  you  ask  my  name  and  business  again,  you  will 
perhaps  have  learned  to  act  like  a  gentleman.  Good-by. 
Who  is  the  impostor  and  upstart  now  ?  " 

So  saying,  Adolph  strode  away,  and  yet  with  a  troubled, 
vexed  look  upon  his  face,  in  marked  contrast  to  the  cheer- 
ful aspect  he  had  worn  ten  minutes  before. 

After  a  minute  or  so,  the  would-be  champion  of  the 
social  position,  lifted  himself  slowly  and  painfully  into  a 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  259 

sitting  posture  and  gazed  around.  He  had  been  hurled  to 
the  earth  so  quickly  and  forcibly  that,  although  by  no  means 
a  weakly  man,  yet  he  knew  he  had  been  but  a  child  in  the 
powerful  grasp  of  his  antagonist. 

"  The  strong  brute  !  Like  all  of  his  class  they  keep  their 
muscles  so  well  developed  by  labor,  that  it  gives  them,  oc- 
casionally, an  advantage  over  their  betters.  Ugh  !  but  that 
shoulder  stings  ;  he  wrenched  it  badly." 

So  saying,  the  young  man  rose  to  his  feet  and  went 
homeward,  muttering  imprecations  on  his  foe.  But  the  ef- 
fect of  the  whiskey  had  now  disappeared,  and  the  defeated 
youth,  in  spite  of  his  wrath,  could  not  help  an  uncomfortable 
feeling  that  he  had  made  a  fool  of  himself,  and  been  justly 
punished.  He  had,  too,  a  feeling  that  he  had  angered  Elsie 
by  his  persistent  efforts  to  force  his  society  upon  her. 
Again,  the  harrowing  thought,  that  he  had  grossly  insulted 
onewith  whom  the  young  mistress  of  the  Hermitage  was  on 
terms  of  decided  friendship,  would  persist  in  obtruding 
itself.  Altogether  he  reached  his  room  in  a  state  of  mind 
which  rendered  him  quite  oblivious  of  any  physical  suffer- 
ing as  a  result  of  his  severe  bruises  and  the  shock  he  had 
experienced. 

He  decided  not  to  meet  the  family  at  dinner,  and  leaving 
an  excuse  of  going  out  to  dine,  after  hastily  changing  his 
dress,  he  started  for  the  village,  to  take  counsel  with  his 
friend  Esmond.  He  found  that  cheerful  gentleman  in  his 
room,  and  was  soon  narrating  his  adventure. 

"  St.  Johns,  I  never  dreamed  you  were  such  an  infernal 
fool ;  I  put  it  mild,  you  observe,  for  my  inclination  is  to  use 
language  which  would  be  more  equal  to  the  occasion.  Why, 
what  right  had  you  to  call  him  to  account ;  and  you  might 
have  known  that  he  would  not  stand  everything !  If  Elsie 
finds  this  out  I  am  afraid  it  is  all  over  with  you." 

"I  begin  to  think  I  have  made  a  fool  of  myself,"  said  the 
now  thoroughly  mortified  Roland,  who  had  felt  sure  that 


260  THE   RUSSIAN   EEFTJGEE. 

his  companion  would  fully  indorse  his  action  and  commend 
him  for  his  valor  ;  "  but  I  lay  it  on  that  glass  of  whiskey 
which  you  advised  my  taking." 

"  Stuff  and  nonsense  ;  why  damn  it,  man,  can't  you  stand 
a  glass  of  bitters  without  making  an  ass  of  yourself  ?  I  ad- 
vised you  to  take  it,  without  supposing  you  were  such  a 
milksop.  There,  keep  cool.  I  suggested  it  just  to  steady 
your  nerves,  and  you  go — ha !  ha !  ha  ! ! !  "  and  here  the 
speaker  threw  himself  upon  the  sofa  and  indulged  in  a  pro- 
longed peal  of  laughter,  which  incensed  the  other  almost 
beyond  endurance. 

"  I  don't  think  you  ought  to  laugh  at  me,  anyway.  You 
advised  my  going  to  watch  them,  and  it  was  very  natural  I 
should  lose  my  temper  to  see  that  scoundrel  spooning 
around  Elsie." 

Roland  said  this  so  piteously,  that  the  other  really  felt 
some  compassion  for  him  and  changed  his  tactics. 

"  Cheer  up,  old  chap,  it  was  very  natural  after  all.  Don't 
know  but  I  might  have  tackled  him  myself,  if  I'd  seen  'em 
together.  But  I  can  make  it  all  right  yet,  only  Elsie  must 
not  know  of  this  meeting  or  it  will  work  bad  for  our  cause, 
for  women  always  admire  the  fellow  who  whips,  and  accord- 
ing to  the  latest  returns  that  fellow  wasn't  Roland  St.  Johns." 

"  Well,  what  do  you  propose  doing.  How  will  you  keep 
it  from  Elsie  ?  He'll  be  sure  to  tell  her ! "  said  his  list- 
ener, despondingly. 

"  Oh,  you  leave  that  to  me.  This  fooling's  got  to  stop. 
I'll  have  to  exert  my  cousinly  authority,  and  if  that  doesn't 
do,  I've  another -card  to  play,  and  it's  a  right  bower  and  is 
sure  to  take  the  trick  every  time.  But  you've  had  no  din- 
ner I  guess  ?  " 

The  other  admitted  the  fact,  and  indeed  now  began  to 
feel  the  need  of  refreshment. 

"  Well,  I'll  just  order  a  nice  little  dinner  to  be  sent  up, 
and  then  I'll  tell  you  my  plans." 


CHAPTEK  XX. 

A   CRISIS. 

THE  HERMITAGE,  Monday. 

DEAR  SIR  :  With  this  you  will  receive  the  books  I  promised  you, 
and  I  am  sure  you  will  find  them  of  great  help  in  your  studies. 
Anything  father  or  I  can  do  to  assist  you  in  your  work  will  be  a 
pleasure  to  us,  and  I  do  hope  you  will  not  be  backward  in  seeking 
such  aid.  I  allude  more  particularly  to  my  father,  I  being  a  learner 
myself.  Father  says  he  purposes  visiting  you  on  Wednesday,  if  you 
will  meet  him  at  the  same  place  and  time,  to  conduct  him  to  the 
Cave.  Home  duties  will  hinder  me  from  accompanying  him,  which 
I  much  regret. 

Faithfully  yours, 

ELSIE  HASTINGS. 

In  consequence  of  this  note,  Mr.  Hastings  found  himself 
again  in  the  underground  mansion,  as  he  termed  it,  on 
Wednesday  morning  about  eleven  o'clock,  having  been  duly 
met  and  conducted  there  by  Adolph.  He  was  introduced  to 
the  new  inmate,  Ivan,  a  fine,  tall,  very  muscular  looking  fellow 
of  about  forty.  Coal-black  hair  and  eyes,  and  a  deep,  swarthy 
complexion,  together  with  a  certain  quick,  watchful,  alert 
bearing,  gave  him  somewhat  the  appearance — Mr.  Hastings 
at  first  thought — of  a  wild  Cossack  leader,  but  a  further 
acquaintance  proved  him  to  be  mild  mannered  and  of  cour- 
teous speech.  An  air  of  dogged,  almost  sullen  submission, 
as  if  everything  he  said  or  did  was  under  duress,  \vas,  the 
visitor  thought,  quite  noticeable  at  first ;  but  this  gradually 
passed  away,  or  was  not  so  marked,  as  he  became  interested 
in  the  conversation. 


262  THE  EUSSTAIST   REFUGEE. 

The  Patriarch's  bright  eyes  shone  with  added  brilliancy 
on  meeting  his  guest. 

"  Your  coming  is  refreshing,  my  son,  as  the  dew  on  the 
flowers.  You  bring  light  to  our  household." 

Soon  the  party  of  gentlemen  were  engaged  in  earnest 
conversation,  and  Mr.  Hastings  was  pleased  and  surprised 
to  find  that  the  fugitive  from  Siberia  spoke  English  very 
well,  having  learned  it  from  a  fellow-prisoner  during  his 
bondage. 

The  visitor,  after  carefully  listening  to  the  details  of  the 
case,  was  glad  to  be  able  to  assure  them  that  Ivan  need 
have  no  apprehensions  of  re-arrest,  supposing  he  should  be 
tracked  by  the  Russian  detectives. 

"  Your  offence  being  purely  political,  not  criminal,  and, 
as  you  say,  you  were  merely  arrested  and  condemned  as 
being  a  member  of  a  society  known  to  be  inimical  to  the 
government,  but  no  positive  proof  adduced  of  your  com- 
plicity in  the  alleged  guilt  of  your  associates,  you  are  not  a 
convict  in  any  sense  over  here,  and  your  case  does  not 
come  under  the  extradition  laws." 

"But  will  American  law  acquit  me  if  I  kill  the  man 
who  tries  to  arrest  me?"  asked  the  escaped  Kussian, 
eagerly. 

"  Certainly,  unless  he  has  a  proper  warrant.  Without 
that  you  can  resist  to  the  best  of  your  ability,  and  in  any 
case  don't  be  arrested  if  you  can  help  it.  And  should 
such  attempt  be  made,  immediately  notify  me  or  some 
other  magistrate  or  lawyer." 

"  Then  the  man  who  tries  to  take  me  will  have  a  warm 
time,"  returned  the  sinewy-looking  foreigner,  touching  sig- 
nificantly a  pistol  in  his  belt. 

As  Mr.  Hastings  looked  at  this  powerfully  built  man, 
with  his  muscles  like  iron  from  constant  exercise,  and  that 
tremendous  pent  up  energy  which  seemed  to  flash  out  at 
each  motion,  accompanied  with  the  expressed  determina- 


THE   RUSSIAN    REFUGEE.  263 

tion  never  to  be  taken  alive,  he  realized  what  a  formidable 
antagonist  he  would  prove  in  case  of  emergency. 

"  I  should  suggest  that  you  go  before  the  proper  officer 
in  Melville,  and  declare  your  intentions  of  becoming  a  citi- 
zen of  the  United  States,  and  take  out  the  necessary  papers. 
I  think  you  said  you  intended  to  remain  permanently  in 
this  country  ?  " 

"Yes,  sir;  I  shall  never  return  to  the  false  mother  who 
treats  her  children  so  badly.  I  stay  here  forever." 

Ivan  had  not  suffered  the  degradation  and  physical  in- 
jury of  being  flogged,  although  most  of  his  companions  had. 
One  of  them,  who  had  been  sentenced  to  four  thousand 
strokes,  died  soon  after  from  the  terrible  shock  and  fever 
which  ensued.  He  said  when  a  large  number  of  strokes 
are  to  be  suffered,  the  convict  can  elect  to  take  them  in  two 
instalments,  or  even  more  if  he  chooses,  the  second  dose 
to  be  given  on  recovery  from  the  results  of  the  first.  Few 
entirely  recovered  from  the  effects  of  the  frightful  punish- 
ment when  the  number  of  strokes  was  four  thousand  or 
upward,  and  if  not  so  divided  the  life  would,  in  most  in- 
stances, be  .sacrificed.  Not  having  to  undergo  this  inflic- 
tion, and  being  rather  a  favorite  among  the  officials,  Ivan 
had  come  from  his  ten  years'  captivity  in  comparatively 
good  health  and  strength.  He  declared  that  a  few  months 
in  the  air  of  freedom  would  restore  him,  he  felt  confident, 
to  more  than  his  original  vigor. 

Nadia  and  the  little  maiden  came  in  after  a  while,  and  it 
was  delightful  to  the  visitor  to  see  the  fond,  clinging  affec- 
tion of  the  reunited  parent  and  child.  Sophia  sat  with  her 
arm  in  her  father's,  chirping  to  him  in  the — to  one  listener 
at  least — strange-sounding  vernacular  of  the  Muscovites, 
but  yet  pleasant  to  the  ear,  as  the  expression  of  sympathy 
and  affection  ever  must  be  whatever  the  tongue  employed. 

The  guest  asked  a  number  of  questions  about  life  in  Si- 
beria, which  were  answered  in  fuU  by  the  ex-convict. 


i 

264  THE   EUSSIAK   KEFUGEE. 

Ivan  had  to  wear  leg-chains,  or  fetters,  during  the  entire 
time,  as  had  all  the  prisoners.  These  did  not,  he  said,  in- 
terfere very  seriously  with  locomotion  or  work,  but  gave  an 
ever-present  sense  of  degradation  and  hindrance.  The 
prison  was  situated  near  a  large  military  station  or  fortress, 
and  the  inmates  numbered  about  three  hundred.  There 
were  nearly  all  grades  of  criminality  represented,  from  the 
cold-blooded  murderer  to  the  mere  pickpocket  and  the 
tramp.  There  were  men  of  education  and  refinement,  who 
in  a*  moment  of  passion  or  jealousy  had  committed  a  crime  ; 
and  hardened  highway  robbers,  who  could  neither  read  nor 
write,  sullen  and  brutal  fellows,  only  waiting  opportunity 
for  the  commission  of  fresh  crime.  Those  who  had  com- 
mitted a  capital  crime  were  placed  in  the  Special  Depart- 
ment. The  political  prisoners  were  treated  somewhat 
more  leniently,  but  this  largely  depended  upon  the  officer 
or  "  major  "  in  charge.  Singular  enough,  Ivan  said,  that 
more  than  half  of  them  could  read  and  write  well.  Many 
of  the  convicts  were  sentenced  to  spend  a  certain  number 
of  years  in  the  prison,  and  then  sent  to  one  of  the  convict 
colonies  for  the  rest  of  their  lives,  free  to  engage  in  any 
occupation  they  chose,  but  not  permitted  to  leave  the  lo- 
cality. Certainly  the  majority  of  the  convicts,  so  far  as  he 
could  discover,  the  refugee  said,  were  sentenced  to  per- 
petual exile  after  the  term  of  their  punishment  had  expired. 
Many  of  these  were  branded  on  the  brow,  an  ever-abiding 
evidence  of  their  shame,  and  society  had  cast  them  off  for- 
ever. They  averaged  about  ten  years  in  the  prison.  Main- 
were  military  prisoners,  only  sent  for  short  terms,  for  in- 
subordination or  deeds  of  violence,  and  then  returned  to 
their  regiments.  But  those  in  the  Special  Department  had 
been  condemned  to  penal  servitude  for  life. 

" How  much  longer  did  you  have  to  serve?  "  asked  Mr. 
Hastings,  who  was  deeply  interested  in  this  recital  of  a  life 
which  is  little  known  to  the  outside  world. 


THE    RUSSIAN    REFUGEE.  265 

"Two  years  more.  I  was  in  on  a  ten  years'  sentence," 
replied  Ivan. 

He  further,  in  answer  to  another  question,  described  their 
garb,  each  department  having  a  peculiar  uniform,  two 
colors  generally  being  used — jackets  half  brown  and  half 
gray,  and  trousers  to  match,  and  some  had  gray  coats  with 
dark-brown  sleeves.  The  heads  of  all  convicts  had  to  be 
shaved,  but  even  this  was  peculiar,  some  having  half  the 
head  shaved  laterally,  while  others  had  the  front  part  only 
shaved  from  ear  to  ear,  giving  a  preternatural  expanse  of 
forehead. 

"  My  impression  of  the  great  majority  of  the  Siberian 
convicts  has  been  that  the  larger  part  were  pretty  good 
fellows,  hot-headed,  imprudent,  and  impulsive,  perhaps, 
but  yet  not  criminal  in  the  worst  sense  of  the  word  ? "  re- 
marked the  visitor,  inquiringly. 

The  Kussian  shook  his  head  impressively  as  he  an- 
swered. 

"  Not  so,  Mr.  Hastings  ;  my  experience  goes  to  show  that 
the  largest  part  of  the  convicts  were  terribly  depraved,  and 
society  was  well  rid  of  them." 

"  But  surely  that  would  not  apply  to  the  political  pris- 
oners, sent  there  for  similar  offences  to  your  own  ?  " 

"No,  not  in  most  cases  ;  but  after  all,  many  of  these  men 
are  fanatical,  unreasoning,  revengeful,  and  often  atrociously 
cruel.  Of  course  the  infamous  system  of  administering  the 
laws,  as  well  as  the  injustice  of  many  of  the  laws  themselves, 
is  largely  accountable  for  this  demoralization  of  people  who, 
under  a  better,  more  equitable  system  of  rule,  might  be 
good,  useful  citizens." 

"I  think  our  mistake  has  been,"  said  Mr.  Hastings,  "in 
supposing  that  most  of  the  prisoners  sent  to  Siberia  were 
suffering  for  political  reasons,  when  it  is  really  a  great 
penal  settlement  for  all  Russia." 

These  points  of  information  were  brought  out  in  answer 


266  THE   EUSSIAN   EEFUGEE. 

to  various  questions,  during  the  time  the  visitor  spent  in 
the  Cave.  Adolph  often  joined  in  the  conversation,  and 
Mr.  Hastings  was  struck  by  the  discernment  and  good  sense 
he  evinced,  generally  going  at  once  to  the  foundation  of  the 
subject. 

"  Our  friend  has  been  sadly  used  by  his  countrymen," 
remarked  the  Patriarch,  and  his  escape  is  wonderful,  and 
he  must  tell  you  about  it  some  time  ;  but  unfortunately, 
there  are  many  interesting  details  that  can  only  be  related 
to  members  of  the  order.  I  have  hoped  that  perhaps  we 
shall  be  able  to  count  you  and  your  dear  child  among  the 
friends  of  Russia." 

"  Indeed,  we  are  both  friends  of  Russia,  and  as  Amer- 
icans, must  be  deeply  interested  in  any  country  so  bound 
down,  crushed,  and  humiliated  by  despotic  power  as  yours 
is.  I  have  thought  over  what  you  told  me,  and  read  the 
little  work  you  sent  me,  and  do  not  see  anything  to  hinder 
us  from  joining  you  as  associate  members.  By  associate 
members,  I  understand  those  who  are  not  bound  to  carry 
out  any  orders  which  conflict  with  their  own  sense  of  jus- 
tice, expediency,  and  right  ?  " 

"  Exactly,"  said  the  Exile  ;  "  after  you  are  initiated  you 
remain  free  as  before,  so  far  as  action  is  concerned.  You 
simply  bind  yourselves  to  reveal  nothing  imparted  to  you 
in  connection  with  the  circle  or  its  friends,  and  to  aid 
them,  in  every  way  that  your  conscience  and  judgment  ap- 
proves, in  furthering  the  great  ends  in  view — the  freedom 
of  Russia  and  her  emancipation  fr®m  the  slavery  in  which 
despotism,  misrule,  ignorance,  bigotry,  and  superstition 
have  so  long  held  her.  There  are,  as  you  know  from  the 
pamphlet,  two  circles,  an  outer  and  an  inner.  In  the 
former,  members  are  merely  associate  and  as  much  at  lib- 
erty as  before.  In  the  latter,  members  are  bound  to  obey 
all  orders,  but  can  always  appeal  from  any  command  if  they 
so  desire.  We  have  scores  of  associate  or  outer- circle 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  267 

members  in  this  country,  friends  of  freedom  who  say  with 
one  of  your  writers,  "The  world  is  my  country.  To  do 
good  is  my  religion." 

So  it  was  decided  that  the  proprietor  of  the  Hermitage  and 
his  daughter  should  become  associate  members  of  the  "  Red 
Circle,"  and  be  initiated  the  following  Friday  morning,  if 
nothing  intervened.  As  Mr.  Hastings  explained  to  his 
child  on  returning  home,  and  informing  her  of  the  arrange- 
ment : 

"I  suppose  some  of  my  friends  would  think  us  fairly  de- 
mented, joining  a  sort  of  social  order  at  the  solicitation  of 
a  few  foreigners,  whom  we  had  known  such  a  brief  period, 
and  under  such  singular  circumstances.  But  I  feel  deeply 
for  these  people,  and  most  thoroughly  sympathize  with 
their  object.  Besides,  we  are  under  such  weighty  obliga- 
tions that  I  am  glad  to  please  them  by  such  a  trifling  thing 
as  joining  their  organization." 

"I  am  delighted,  father,  that  you  have  agreed  to  this.  I 
have  wished  it  very  much  indeed,  for  it  will  enable  us  to 
influence  and  advise  these  noble  friends  for  their  good  ;  for 
belonging  to  their  order  will  give  them  confidence  in  us." 

"  I  have  done  it  largely  to  please  you,  my  dear,  and  also 
for  the  reason  you  speak  of.  Joining  the  circle  is  a  matter 
of  very  little  importance  to  us,  while  to  them,  in  their 
simple  way  of  living  and  gauging  things,  it  is  of  much  im- 
portance." 

Elsie's  heart  felt  light  and  joyous,  and  yet  she  could 
hardly  account  for  her  buoyant  feelings.  To  be  sure  she 
was  much  attached  to  the  Cave  friends,  and  rejoiced  at  the 
prospect  of  giving  them  pleasure,  and  also  being  brought 
into  closer  acquaintanceship  with  them.  But  she  felt  that 
this  was  not  the  sole  cause  of  her  good  spirits.  The  St. 
Johns  were  about  returning  to  town,  preparatory  to  their 
annual  sojourn  at  the  ocean,  and  Elsie  felt  greatly  relieved 
at  the  thought  of  their  departure.  And  it  was  not  any  re- 


268  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

proach  to  her  hospitality  or  friendship  that  these  feelings 
came  unbidden,  and  were  uppermost  in  her  mind  ;  for  she 
was  strongly  attached  to  her  guests,  and  with  her  hospitality 
was  a  duty  and  a  pleasure.  But  she  had  felt  strangely 
nervous  and  anxious  concerning  Roland  lately,  and  wished 
him  away  from  possibly  evil  influences.  Then,  again,  his 
attentions  to  herself  for  some  time  had  been  so  marked 
as  to  permit  only  one  construction,  and  this  pained 
her  exceedingly.  And  she  could  not  disguise  from  herself 
that  her  time  had  been  so  little  at  her  command  for  the 
last  few  weeks,  that  her  usual  daily  ride  or  walk  had  been 
largely  abandoned,  and,  in  consequence,  many  of  her  humble 
friends  had  been  neglected. 

We  are  such  creatures  of  habit !  and  Elsie's  rides  and 
walks,  and  visits  to  certain  poor  folks  that  she  had  known 
from  childhood,  had  become  so  essentially  a  part  of  her 
life,  that  somehow  existence  seemed  to  be  in  a  degree 
empty  and  vacant,  and  she  felt  like  one  who,  after  a  period 
of  sickness  and  forced  inactivity  looks  forward  to  a  rapid 
convalescence. 

The  St.  Johns  were  to  start  next  morning,  and  Roland 
was  disconsolate.  In  vain  had  he  pleaded  with  his  mother 
to  be  allowed  to  stay  behind,  urging  that  if  it  would  not 
do  to  longer  trespass  on  the  hospitality  of  the  Hermitage, 
he  would  stay  at  the  hotel  in  Melville,  where  Harry  Esmond 
was. 

But  his  mother  had  her  own  reasons  for  proving  obdu- 
rate. So  much  money  had  been  spent  by  Roland  lately  in 
one  way  and  another,  and  the  assessments  for  mining  pur- 
poses were  so  frequent  that  she  felt  that  she  would  like  to 
be  home  again,  and  have  Roland  there  too. 

"  Well,  I  shall  come  down  to  see  you  once  a  week  any- 
how, old  fellow,"  the  young  man  remarked  to  Esmond,  as 
he  shook  that  astute  friend  by  the  hand  at  the  hotel  on  the 
afternoon  in  question. 


THE   BUSSIAjS   REFUGEE.  269 

"  Of  course  you  will,  and  I  will  look  after  your  interests 
over  there  ; "  pointing  significantly  with  his  thumb  in  the 
direction  of  his  uncle's  abode.  "  You're  my  friend,  and  I 
am  going  to  see  justice  done  you,  I  am.  Don't  be  down- 
hearted, man.  I  give  you  my  word  no  dirty,  ignorant  for- 
eigner is  going  to  cut  out  any  friend  of  mine,  not  if  this 
court  knows  itself,"  and  the  speaker  looked  so  manly  and 
dignified,  and  spoke  in  such  an  oracular  way  that  Koland 
took  on  new  courage  and  helped  himself  to  another  glass 
of  wine,  which  had  been  ordered  up  by  the  owner  of  the 
room  to  do  honor  to  the  guest  and  the  occasion. 

But  yet  a  few  hours  later  Koland,  as  said  above,  felt 
very  disconsolate.  What  might  happen  while  he  was 
away  ?  That  hateful  Russian  ! — for  now  he  had  satisfied 
himself  as  to  the  nationality  of  his  enemy,  although  he  had 
not  been  so  successful  in  locating  him,  for  no  one  seemed 
to  know  where  he  lived,  although  known  by  sight  to  many 
in  Melville.  And  he  had  found,  too,  to  his  dismay,  that 
many  regarded  him  as  a  hero,  and  held  grateful  remem- 
brance of  his  coolness  and  courage  on  the  night  of  the 
Town-Hall  fire. 

Young  St.  Johns  would  dearly  like  to  have  given  him 
another  piece  of  his  mind,  and  a  second  warning  ;  but  the 
memory  of  that  strong  arm  was  too  vivid,  and  although 
not  exactly  timid,  yet  he  dared  not  meet  that  face  and 
hand  again.  A  bright  idea  came  to  him.  "  I  will  write  to 
him,  and  then  I  can  put  it  as  strong  as  I  please."  First, 
however,  he  decided  to  seek  a  private  interview  with  Elsie, 
and  so,  as  the  evening  was  cool  and  pleasant  and  inviting, 
he  proposed  a  stroll. 

"I  think  Alf  would  like  to  go  too,  let  me  ask  her?" 
said  the  young  lady,  anxious  to  avoid  a  private  walk,  if 
possible,  on  this  last  evening. 

But  Roland  was  equal  to  the  occasion,  and  displayed  a 
readiness  of  resource  which  Elsie  had  not  anticipated. 


270  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

"Well,  you  go  and  put  on  your  hat,  while  I  ask  Alf.  I 
know  where  she  is." 

There  was  no  alternative  ;  and  so  the  young  woman  dis- 
appeared in  quest  of  the  hat,  feeling  sure  that  she  and  Ko- 
land  would  have  the  walk  alone. 

"  Mamma  does  not  wish  Alf  to  go  out  just  yet,  but  they 
will  all  go  out  with  us  when  we  return,  or  perhaps  come  to 
meet  us,"  said  the  young  diplomat,  when  she  reappeared 
ready  for  the  walk. 

There  was  nothing  for  it  but  to  face  the  inevitable,  and 
so  Elsie  put  the  best  face  on  the  matter  she  could,  but  it 
was  not  quite  so  sunny  a  face  as  usual.  She  had  a  woman's 
intuitive  perception  of  what  might  happen,  and  wished  to 
avoid  inflicting  pain  ;  in  short,  naturally  shrank  from  what 
might  be  a  very  unpleasant  experience. 

"Elsie,"  began  her  companion,  abruptly,  causing  her  to 
look  at  him  rather  anxiously,  as  if  fearful  that  he  might 
have  again  resorted  to  artificial  means  to  give  him  courage, 
"  why  do  you  try  to  avoid  me  ?  and  why  did  you  want  Alf 
to  come  with  us  just  now?  Are  you,"  and  here  the  young 
man  assumed  an  air  of  injured  pride,  "ashamed  to  be  seen 
alone  with  me  ?  " 

The  air  and  tone  were  so  pompous  that  Elsie's  risibilities 
were  sorely  tried,  but  she  managed  to  answer  quietly  : 

"  How  ridiculous,  Roland  ;  how  could  such  a  thing  enter 
your  head  ?  " 

"  Well,  ah — well — I  thought  it  might  be  possible,  but  I 
allow  it  is  highly  improbable,  you  know.  But,  Elsie,  you 
must  allow  that  you  have  not  given  me  a  fair  show  ;  now 
have  you  ?  " 

"  A  fair  show !  What  do  you  mean  ?  Please  don't  speak 
in  riddles  ;  but  you  always  did  like  to  tease." 

"  No,  'pon  honor,  I'm  in  earnest  this  time.  You  know  I 
think  everything  of  you,  and  yet  I've  been  here  six  weeks 
and  only  had  two  walks  with  you." 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  271 

"Two  walks  !  Why  we've  been  out  walking  nearly  every 
day  together ! " 

"  Oh,  yes !  "  he  exclaimed,  pettishly ;  "  but  you  know  what 
I  mean.  Mamma  and  the  girls  were  always  present. 
We've  only  had  about  two  private  walks  that  amounted  to 
anything,  and  it's  too  bad." 

She  laughed  heartily,  at  which  he  seemed  highly  indig- 
nant, so  she  hastened  to  atone  by  saying  : 

"  But  you'll  be  here  often,  and  there'll  be  many  opportu- 
nities in  the  fall  when  you  come  to  see  us  again." 

"Yes,  but  that  isn't  the  thing.  I  want  to  say  something 
to  you  special,  and  have  been  waiting  for  a  chance  this 
ever  so  long." 

"  Let  us  wait  until  we  return  to  the  house  for  the  special 
thing,  and  then  I  shan't  be  so  likely  to  forget  it.  Isn't  that 
a  pretty  clump  of  trees  over  there  ?  I  have  never  seen  a 
bit  of  landscape  anywhere  quite  equal  to  that." 

He  regarded  her  reproachfully,  as  if  surprised  at  her 
levity  at  that  particular  time,  and  answered,  rather  tartly  : 

"  Why,  you  must  have  seen  that  a  million  times,  and 
speak  as  if  you  had  only  just  discovered  its  beauty.  It  is, 
I  suppose,  what  would  be  called  aw — rather  pretty.  Elsie, 
mother  says  I  ought  to  get  married  and  settle  down,  and  I 
begin  to  think  she's  half  right.  What  do  you  think  about  it?  " 

"  What  an  idea — as  if  I  could  give  an  opinion  on  such  a 
point.  Well,  I'll  try  and  think  some  of  these  times  what 
kind  of  a  wife  you  ought  to  have,  and  write  and  tell  you. 
How  will  that  do  ?  Now,  perhaps,  we  had  better  be  turn- 
ing homeward,  it  looks  something  like  rain." 

"  Not  yet  a  while.  Please  sit  down  on  this  rock  and  rest 
It's  not  going  to  rain." 

So  saying  they  sat  down  at  a  point  which  commanded 
a  fine  view  of  the  country  leading  toward  the  Great  Glen, 
which  could  just  be  noted  by  a  practised  eye  by  the  deep 
fringe  of  woods  which  outlined  it  in  the  distance. 


272  THE   RUSSIAN  REFUGEE. 

"  Now,  Elsie,  there  is  no  need  for  you  or  any  one  else  to 
look  out  a  wife  for  me,  I've  done  that  for  myself,  and  I  think 
I've  just  hit  it.  You're  the  one,  Elsie — the  one  girl  in  all 
the  world  for  me." 

His  hearer  didn't  know  whether  to  laugh  or  cry,  at  this 
unmistakable  declaration  of  preference,  for  she  felt  like 
doing  both,  and  she  saw  the  young  man  was  as  much  in 
earnest  as  one  of  his  nature  could  be,  and  then  she  half  sus- 
pected, from  one  or  two  expressions  she  had  heard,  that  the 
mother  and  sisters  were  with  him  in  this  matter.  She  re- 
mained silent,  thinking  that  he  might  yet  give  her  a  chance 
of  escape  without  committing  herself. 

"  Why  don't  you  answer  me,  Elsie  ?  You  know  I  love  you 
better  than  all  the  world,  and  will  make  you  the  best  of 
husbands.  Mother  always  said  I  was  just  the  one  to  make 
a  woman  happy.  Come,  now,  say  when  it  shall  be,  and 
then  if  you'll  let  me,  I'll  light  a  cigar,  and  we'll  go  home 
and  tell  them  it's  all  settled." 

"  Now,  Roland,  you  must  put  such  thoughts  out  of  your 
head.  You  and  I  would  never  do  together,  we're  not 
adapted  to  each  other  at  all.  Why,  we  hardly  think  alike 
on  any  one  point.  No,  I  cannot  listen  to  you  about  this 
matter.  Let  us  talk  about  something  else,"  as  he  attempted 
to  remonstrate  eagerly.  "  You  will  find  someone  you  will 
like  ever  so  much  better  than  me.  Won't  you  promise  me 
to  try  and  forget  this  talk,  and  we  shah1  be  just  as  good 
friends  as  ever  ?  " 

His  manner  changed  at  once,  as  he  saw  how  quietly  res- 
olute she  was,  and  he  knew  her  well  enough  to  know  that 
she  meant  every  word  she  said.  He  turned  aside  for  a 
moment  so  that  she  could  not  see  his  face,  and  then  wheel- 
ing sharply  round,  with  lowering  brow  and  a  fierce  light 
gleaming  in  his  eyes,  he  hissed  out  angrily  : 

"It's  that  whelp  of  a  Russian  that  has  come  between  us. 
He's  crossed  my  path.  Let  him  beware."  His  voice  fairly 


THE   RUSSIAN    REFUGEE.  273 

shook  with  a  passion  she  had  never  suspected  he  could 
exhibit,  and  the  last  sentence  was  husky  with  excitement. 
She  naturally  felt  indignant,  and  no  longer  thought  of 
soothing  him. 

"If  you  are  going  to  talk  that  way  I  shall  leave  you. 
You  are  unjust." 

She  had  remarked,  during  the  past  few  weeks,  how  thor- 
oughly changed,  indeed,  young  St.  Johns  had  become. 
The  affected,  languid  manner  which  had  once  distinguished 
him,  had  given  place  to  a  nervous  fretfulness  of  tone  and 
bearing  which  showed  a  heart  ill  at  ease.  He  was,  to  be 
sure,  still  the  conceited  fop  at  times,  but,  since  associating 
with  Harry  Esmond,  his  style  had  been  modified  by  de- 
grees, and  the  drawl  and  affectation  of  London  snobbery 
had  largely  disappeared,  and  been  replaced  by  a  certain 
craftiness  of  mien  and  a  slangy  repertoire  which  savored  of 
the  mining  camps,  or  the  fast  life  of  Western  cities.  The 
truth  was,  Roland  belonged  to  that  class  of  humanity 
which  naturally  take  to  wearing  livery.  Lacking  strong 
individuality  themselves,  they  instinctively  seek  a  master, 
and  having  found  him,  soon  sport  his  colors,  and  wear  his 
coat-of-arms  in  manner  and  language.  Like  the  genus 
Hyla  in  zoology,  they  become  so  like  the  tree  on  which 
they  rest,  that  they  seem  a  part  of  it. 

The  young  man  we  are  speaking  of  was  imitative  and 
receptive,  and  was  moulded  by  the  society  in  which  he 
moved.  He  was  now  arrayed  in  Harry  Esmond's  livery, 
just  as  he  had  been  pre viously  attired  in  that  of  some  fast 
young  men  in  the  city  who  had  been  to  "  Yurrup"  long 
enough  to  catch  the  mincing  air  and  lingual  imbecility  of 
the  English  capital.  Elsie's  manner  partly  brought  him 
to  his  senses,  and  he  hastened  to  atone  for  his  hasty  words. 

"  Forgive  me,  but  I  love  you,  you  must  know,  and  can- 
not help  feeling  dreadfully  when  a  fellow  like  that  comes 
between  us." 
18 


274  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

He  spoke  so  pitifully  that  she  half  relented  her  tempo- 
rary show  of  resentment ;  but  yet  she  realized  instinctively 
that  matters  had  come  to  such  a  pass  now,  that  further 
temporizing  was  out  of  the  question.  She  felt  that  she 
must  speak  plainly,  very  plainly,  and  so  preclude  the  pos- 
sibility of  a  repetition  of  this  scene. 

"  Mr.  Koland,  let  us  understand  each  other  thoroughly. 
You  have  asked  me  to  marry  you.  Let  me  urge  you  to 
put  away  such  an  idea  once  and  for  all.  It  can  never  be. 
We  are  not  adapted  to  each  other  in  any  way.  Our  ideas 
differ  on  nearly  every  point." 

He  broke  in  on  her  words,  impetuously. 

"I  know,  Elsie,  I  am  not  worthy  of  you.  I  am  not  what 
I  ought  to  be,  but  you  can  make  anything  of  me  you  wish. 
I  shall  be  devoted  to  you.  Only  say  you  will,  you  will 
give  me  a  hope,  and  I  will  do  anything  you  wish.  You  can 
save  me  and  make  a  man  of  me." 

All  the  affectation  and  foppery  were  gone,  and  for  once 
the  much  indulged  and  petted  young  man  spoke  from  his 
very  soul.  Like  all  weak  natures,  he  gravitated  toward  her 
strong  life,  and  felt  almost  like  one  drowning,  who  sees  the 
plank  which  he  had  agonized  to  reach  slowly  floating  away 
on  the  tide,  going  farther  and  farther  from  his  grasp  every 
moment. 

Elsie  remembered  at  this  moment  Alf's  pleading  look 
as  she  had  expressed  the  wish  that  she  could  like  Koland 
well  enough  to  marry  him,  and  somehow  she  almost  trem- 
bled as  she  thought  of  the  possible  life  to  which  he  might 
drift  for  want  of  some  strong  helper  to  guide  and  control 
him  through  his  affections  and  better  nature.  Many  a  no- 
ble woman  has  immolated  herself  on  such  an  altar,  in  the 
hope  of  saving  and  redeeming. 

Perhaps  it  is  right  for  a  brave,  good,  useful  swimmer  to 
plunge  into  the  raging  water,  with  its  hidden  as  well  as 
obvious  perils,  to  rescue  some  inferior  fellow-creature  who 


THE  RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  275 

is  about  to  perish.  And  if  the  rescue  is  effected,  and  both 
safely  reach  shore,  the  world  applauds,  and  all  say  and  feel 
— "well  done."  But  if,  as  sometimes  happens,  the  brave 
one  saves  the  inferior  being,  and  loses  his  own  life  in  the 
valorous  attempt — what  is  said  and  thought  then?  Self- 
sacrifice  is  the  highest  form  of  human  endeavor,  when  the 
object  of  salvation  is  a  noble  one.  Yet  to  give  the  noble 
for  the  ignoble — the  useful  for  the  useless — gold  for  brass 
— is  that  wise  ?  But,  supposing  the  probabilities  of  salva- 
tion for  the  inferior  are  only  one  in  a  hundred,  even  if  the 
superior  is  sacrificed,  is  such  an  attempt  ever  justifiable  ? 
Ordinary  prudence,  common  sense,  as  well  as  the  best  in- 
telligence must  say,  "  nay."  And  yet  this  is  being  done  in 
society  every  day.  Noble  lives — strong,  virtuous,  helpful 
lives — are  being  poured  out  like  water  in  the  vain  hope  of 
reforming  and  saving  some  wretched  specimen  of  human- 
ity, whose  miserable  remnant  of  a  misspent  existence — a 
shrivelled,  warped  soul,  seared  and  burned  out  of  all  true 
shape  by  the  fires  of  lust  and  self-indulgence — even  if  saved, 
is  surely  not  worth  the  cost.  For  we  have  to  remember 
that  in  many  of  these  attempts  the  superior  nature  is 
lowered,  degraded,  and  impaired  in  this  struggle  between 
good  and  evil,  the  latter  being  too  strong ;  and  so,  what 
might  have  blessed  the  world,  serves  merely  as  fuel  to  feed 
the  foul  flames  of  the  garbage  heap. 

Elsie's  mind  had  been  trained  by  a  kind,  wise  friend — 
her  father — who  had  impressed  upon  her  that  self-sacrifice 
is  only  noble  if  the  object  is  a  noble  one,  and  success  prob- 
able ;  otherwise  it  is  both  unwise  and  criminal. 

"  The  man  who,  being  unable  to  swim,  plunges  boldly 
into  the  water  to  save  a  companion,  is  a  brave  fool  who,  if 
he  escapes  drowning,  ought  to  be  punished.  No  one  is 
justified  in  recklessly  throwing  away  his  life,"  he  had  said 
to  her  on  one  occasion,  and  she  remembered  it  now  as  she 
confronted  this  youth,  whom  she  earnestly  desired  to  save, 


276  THE  RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

and  listened  to  his  pleadings.  These  thoughts,  the  out- 
come of  past  reflections  and  conversations,  flashed  through 
her  mind  in  a  tithe  of  the  time  it  takes  to  read  them,  and 
when  her  companion  ceased— and  we  have  given  above  a 
mere  hint  of  the  arguments  he  used,  lover's  logic  and 
lover's  sophistry — she  had  decided  on  her  course. 

"Roland,  the  man  I  marry  must  be  strong  enough  men- 
tally and  spiritually  to  command  my  respect.  He  who  has 
not  manhood  enough  to  resist  temptation  and  be  his  own 
saviour,  but  looks  to  someone  else  for  salvation — especially 
to  one  who  naturally  should  expect  aid  from  him — never 
ought  to  dare  to  marry.  I  should  feel  contempt  for  such  a 
one,  and  contempt  and  love  cannot  dwell  together." 

He  cowered  before  her  indignant  words,  and  felt  at 
that  moment  how  immeasurably  apart  they  were. 

"  But,  am  I  then  not  worth  saving  ?  "  he  ventured. 

"Yes — a  thousand  times  yes,  but  you  must  save  your- 
self ;  no  one  else  can  do  it.  Others  can  only  help.  Any 
help  that  one  so  weak  as  I  can  give,  I  cheerfully  offer. 
Let  me  be  a  friend — a  sister,  if  you  will — but  no  nearer  re- 
lation is  possible,  and  after  a  time  you  will  see  this  as  I 
see  it  and  thank  me.  Now  let  us  return.  No  one  need  be 
one  bit  the  wiser  for  what  has  passed  between  us. " 

He  attempted  a  feeble  remonstrance,  but  felt  impelled  to 
acquiesce,  and  they  walked  homeward.,  she  speaking  quietly 
and  naturally  on  common  topics,  and  contented  with  the 
monosyllabic  responses  of  her  companion.  They  shortly 
met  the  rest  of  the  St.  Johns  party  and  Mr.  Hastings,  and 
Elsie  was  satisfied,  from  the  questioning  looks  of  the  elder 
lady  and  the  curious  side-glances  which  the  girls  cast  on 
their  brother,  that  the  ordeal  through  which  she  had  just 
passed,  and  which  had  tried  her  sorely,  had  been  at  least 
anticipated  and  connived  at  by  the  young  man's  female  re- 
latives. She  felt  somewhat  indignant  and  hurt,  and  if  op- 
portuuity  had  offered,  would  fain  have  retired  to  the  pri- 


THE   RUSSIAN    REFUGEE.  277 

vacy  of  her  own  room,  and  indulged  in  the  luxury  and  re- 
lief of  a  good  cry.  But  she  was  compelled  to  exert  herself, 
as  if  nothing  had  occurred  to  mar  her  enjoyment,  conscious 
all  the  time  that  her  lady  friends  knew  pretty  well,  or  sus- 
pected, what  had  taken  place,  and  that  she  had  wounded 
them  through  the  son  and  brother.  As  for  Roland,  he  ex- 
cused himself  soon  from  the  party,  saying  he  had  up  to 
that  moment  forgotten  an  imperative  engagement,  which 
must  be  attended  to  ere  returning  to  town.  So  the  rest 
sauntered  on,  although  for  most  of  them  the  charm  of  the 
evening  had  somehow  departed. 

"  Roland  does  not  look  quite  himself,  my  dear  Elsie  ;  can 
you  suggest  any  cause  for  the  poor  boy's  evident  depres- 
sion ?  "  asked  his  mother,  keenly  observing  the  young  lady. 

"It  is  very  natural,  mamma,"  quickly  remarked  Alf, 
willing  to  save  her  friend  the  annoyance  of  trying  to  an- 
swer a  possibly  awkward  question.  "  Roland  is  much  at- 
tached to  this  place,  and  feels  our  leaving  very  much." 

The  young  lady's  mother  looked  as  if  she  wished  she 
would  mind  her  own  business  and  speak  only  when  spoken 
to,  but  Elsie's  grateful  look  amply  rewarded  the  independ- 
ent Alf,  who,  when  in  the  country  associating  with  her 
friend  of  the  Hermitage,  seemed  to  borrow  courage  and 
self-reliance  from  the  latter,  however  she  might  disguise 
and  restrain  such  qualities  when  in  the  city.  Indeed,  Mrs. 
St.  Johns  had  remarked  to  her  elder  daughter,  only  the 
day  previous  :  "  We  must  go  home,  for  Alf s  sake.  Her 
very  nature  seems  to  change  when  with  Elsie  Hastings  for 
any  length  of  time.  Elsie  is  the  dearest  girl  in  the  world, 
in  spite  of  her  gaucheries  and  country  ways  ;  but  it  would 
break  my  heart  if  either  of  my  daughters  had  such  outre 
manners.  It  would  ruin  us  all  with  our  set." 

In  the  meantime  Roland  was  making  his  way  to  Melville 
to  seek  a  sympathetic  ear.  He  was  soon  in  the  apartment 
of  his  friend,  who  seemed  surprised  at  seeing  him. 


278  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

"  Hello,  St.  Johns,  what  in  thunder  brings  you  here 
again  ?  You  said,  on  bidding  me  good-by  three  hours  ago, 
that  I  should  not  see  you  again  for  a  week  at  least.  Some- 
thing's wrong,  by  the  holy  poker,  for  you  look  savage.  Out 
with  it,  man  ! "  Seeing  that  Eoland  preserved  a  moody  si- 
lence—"Has  she  given  you  the  mitten,  eh?" 

"  She  is,  as  I  told  you,  just  infatuated  with  that  damned 
Kussian,"  said  the  other,  savagely. 

"  Ha,  ha,  a  little  jealousy  !  Would  like  to  make  mince- 
meat of  the  aforesaid  Muscovite  !  Yes,  yes,  but  don't  care 
to  try  his  strong  arm  again." 

His  hearer  winced  as  if  a  hot  iron  had  touched  him. 

"  Oh,  we'U  fix  that  fellow.  Now  tell  me  all  about  it.  Did 
you  propose,  as  I  told  you  ?  " 

In  a  short  time  Esmond  was  in  possession  of  the  whole 
story,  and  a  long  conversation  ensued,  at  the  conclusion  of 
which  the  visitor  left  the  hotel  looking  much  more  cheerful 
than  when  he  had  entered. 


CHAPTEE  XXL 

THE    RED    CIRCLE. 

FRIDAY  arrived,  and  the  Hermitage  being  free  of  guests 
once  more,  Mr.  Hastings  and  Elsie  were  early  at  the  ren- 
dezvous, ready  to  be  escorted  to  the  cave.  They  were  met 
by  Adolph,  who  said  that  Hiram  would  join  them  before 
they  reached  'the  place  where  they  had  to  be  blindfolded. 
All  were  in  capital  spirits,  for  the  morning  was  delightful, 
and  the  consciousness  that  they  were  free  to  leave  home 
without  violating  any  laws  of  hospitality  gave  an  additional 
zest  to  the  excursion.  Also  to  Elsie,  the  thought  of  becom- 
ing a  member  of  an  order  which  had  in  one  way  and  another 
occupied  a  good  deal  of  her  thoughts  during  the  past  few 
months,  threw  a  film  of  romance  over  the  entire  proceed- 
ings, that  was  peculiarly  fascinating  to  youth  and  health. 
On  the  way,  their  companion  showed  that  he  had  made 
excellent  use  of  the  books  sent  him,  by  his  clear,  practical 
observations  on  the  flora  and  geological  formation  of  the 
neighborhood.  It  was  surprising  to  Mr.  Hastings,  who  had 
considerable  acquaintance  with  these  sciences  himself,  to 
note  how  clear  and  accurate  his  observations  were.  "  Yet," 
as  the  Russian  explained,  "  I  had  a  large  practical  knowl- 
edge of  these  matters  before,  but  lacked  the  scientific 
terms  and  classification  and  exact  definitions  which  the 
books  supplied." 

"  Still,  how  could  you  get  on  at  all,  without  names  for  the 
flowers  and  plants  ?  "  asked  Elsie.  "  I  never  could,  I  am 
sure." 


280  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

"  Certainly,  Miss  Hastings,  I  had  names  for  them.  Some 
I  used  to  distinguish  by  the  common  local  terms  ;  and, 
where  I  could  not  find  out  the  names,  I  gave  them  names 
myself,  and  also  classified  them  after  a  plan  of  my  own.  I 
must  show  you  my  botany,  some  day  ;  it  is  about  two  hun- 
dred pages  of  writing." 

"  And  have  you  done  the  same  thing  in  geology  ? " 
asked  Mr.  Hastings,  who  had  listened  with  amazement  at 
the  marvellous  perseverance  shown  by  this  natural  student. 

"Yes,  but  here  I  had  to  invent  almost  everything  ;  for 
few  around  here,  that  I  have  associated  with,  know  anything 
of  geology.  But  then  the  men  who  wrote  the  books  had  to 
do  the  same  thing  at  first,  did  they  not  ?  " 

"And  you  are  the  man  they  say  is  not  educated,"  said 
Elsie,  impulsively. 

Adolph's  deepened  color  and  her  father's  surprised 
"  Elsie  !  "  warned  her  that  the  remark  was  an  unfortunate 
one. 

"  I  ask  pardon,"  she  said,  blushing  in  her  turn.  "  I  did 
not  mean  to  speak  so  bluntly  ;  but  I  heard  the  remark,  and 
the  injustice  of  it  came  home  to  me  very  strongly  just  then. 
Please  forget  what  I  said,  Mr.  Adolph.  Father  often  tells 
me  about  my  speaking  and  doing  so  much  on  impulse." 

"  There  is  nothing  to  apologize  for,  or  try  to  forget,  either, 
my  dear  friends,  if  I  may  call  you  so,"  returned  the  gentle- 
man, who  showed  no  annoyance  in  his  manner,  but  rather 
a  humorous  appreciation  of  the  remark.  "  Whoever  said 
so  was  quite  right.  I  am  an  uneducated  man.  I  only  know 
how  to  read  and  write  ;  but,  as  they  are  keys  to  most  knowl- 
edge of  the  schools,  at  least,  I  may  hope  to  know  a  little 
more,  some  day." 

"  I  question  if  your  education  to-day,  modestly  as  you 
speak  of  it,  isn't  more  valuable  than  that  of  half  the  stu- 
dents who  graduate  yearly  from  our  colleges  and  univer- 
sities," answered  Mr.  Hastings,  warmly.  "Much  of  college 


THE    RUSSIAN   EEFLTGEE.  281 

knowledge  is  a  mere  counterfeit  resemblance,  so  far  as  life 
is  concerned — cramming  dead  languages,  and  neglecting 
living  ones,  including  their  own  ;  giving  unstinted  toil  to 
solve  worn-out  problems  and  investigate  defunct  issues, 
while  the  grand  questions  and  live  issues  of  our  own  day 
are  demanding  attention  at  every  step.  Ordinary  college 
training  simply  inflates  the  average  student,  and  sends  him, 
balloon-like,  floating  down  his  generation,  pompous  and 
conceited,  and  of  little  value  to  the  world,  unless  a  friendly 
pin  causes  a  collapse,  and  so  shows  him  the  true  nature 
and  value  of  his  freight." 

Hiram  soon  joined  the  party,  looking  as  good-natured 
and  grotesque  as  usual ;  and  as  Elsie  returned  his  respectful 
and  affectionate  greeting,  looking  up  to  the  extraordinary 
figure,  the  appropriateness  of  the  nickname  "  Giraffe  "  came 
home  to  her  sense  of  humor  as  it  had  never  done  before. 
She  could  not  resist  glancing  at  her  companion,  who  met 
her  eye  with  a  quiet  smile,  which  showed  he  interpreted 
her  thoughts. 

"  Hiram,  my  friend,"  said  the  Russian,  "I  know  you  are 
glad  with  me  that  this  is  the  last  time  that  we  shall  have  to 
ask  our  honored  guests  here  to  submit  to  the  indignity  of 
the  bandage." 

"  Darn  my  butes,  ef  I  doan't  feel  jest  so." 

"Why,  you  mustn't  think  we  mind  such  a  trifle,"  said 
Mr.  Hastings.  "  Of  course,  one  prefers  the  use  of  all  the 
senses  ;  but  we  don't  mind  letting  you  and  Hiram  act  as 
eyes  for  us,  for  a  while.  Do  we,  Elsie  ?  " 

She  laughed  merrily. 

"  No,  indeed  ;  it's  a  good  thing  to  give  the  eyes  all  the 
rest  possible,  and  four  eyes  ought  to  be  able  to  do  the  seeing 
for  four  people."  So  saying,  she  first  adjusted  the  handker- 
chief on  her  father's  head,  and  then  submitted  her  own  to 
the  same  operation  at  the  hands  of  Adolph.  After  walking 
a  few  moments,  Hiram,  who  was  a  little  in  advance,  leading 


282  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

Mr.  Hastings,  suddenly  stopped,  and  motioned  to  the  other 
couple  to  do  the  same. 

"  Durn  it,  friend  Adolph,  some  pesky  varmint's  a  foller- 
ing  on  us." 

All  listened  carefully  ;  but  no  sounds  could  be  heard, 
except  such  as  always  fill  the  country  air,  making  the  still- 
ness audible. 

"  If  it  was  anyone  else  but  Hiram,  I  should  say  it  was  a 
mistake  ;  but  he  never  fails, "  said  Adolph. 

"  The  Giraffe  "  in  the  meantime  had  laid  himself  prone 
on  his  face,  with  one  ear  pressed  close  to  the  ground. 
Presently,  he  arose. 

"  The  pesky  critter's  a  follering  on  us,  sure.  Only  one 
varmint,  an'  he's  a  city-rat." 

Adolph  listened  too,  with  his  ear  close  to  the  ground, 
and  presently  was  able  to  catch  the  sound  of  a  crafty  foot- 
step, which  was  much  nearer  and  more  distinct  in  its  fall 
than  when  the  trapper  detected  it. 

"Perhaps  it  would  be  wiser  to  defer  our  visit  to-day,  and 
come  some  other  time,"  remarked  the  proprietor  of  the 
Hermitage. 

' '  Not  at  all, "  replied  Adolph.  ' '  Hiram  will  settle  with  this 
rash  intruder,  and  join  us  at  the  cave.  Allow  me  to  take 
your  arm,  Mr.  Hastings." 

So  saying,  holding  an  arm  of  each  of  the  visitors,  he  led 
the  way  forward,  while  the  "Giraffe"  disappeared  from 
sight  almost  like  magic.  He  seemed  to  sink  his  tall  form 
right  into  the  ground.  The  region  v was  covered  with  trees 
and  bushes,  so  it  was  not  a  difficult  thing  for  the  spy,  if 
such  he  was,  to  keep  out  of  sight,  and  equally  easy  for  those 
he  was  tracking  to  avoid  his  eye.  A  couple  of  moments 
perhaps  after  the  two  had  left  Hiram,  a  man  emerged  cau- 
tiously from  the  bushes  and  moved  noiselessly  across  the 
small  open  space,  where  they  had  stood  deciding  on  their 
course  after  Hiram's  announcement,  in  the  direction  they 


THE   EUSSIAN   KEFUGEE.  283 

had  taken.  A  second  later  and  the  stranger  felt  himself 
grasped  firmly  by  the  hair  by  some  force  from  above  and 
lifted  bodily  into  the  air.  He  struggled  violently,  half  wild 
with  terror,  but  the  giant  hand  relaxed  not  a  bit. 

"  Durn  my  butes,  but  yer  a  purty  sight,  anyhow,  so  ye 
are,"  reached  his  ears  and  satisfied  him  that  it  was  humanity 
in  some  form  he  had  to  deal  with. 

"Let  me  go,  you  scoundrel.  If  you  want  to  rob  me  take 
what  I've  got,  but  let  me  go." 

"Let  ye  go — ha  !  mighty  skeered  ye  be  naow,  ain't  yer  ? 
Wall,  'spose  yer  let  go — guess  yer'd  better  stir  yer  hoofs . 
kinder  smartish  like  ter  hum.  Whoop  !  but  I  kinder  feel 
like  raising  yer  ha'r  for  yer.  Durn  yer,  what  yer  doing 
'bout  these  diggin's  poking  yer  nose  inter  what  don't  con- 
sarn  yer  nohow  ?  Now  get — whoop ! "  and  suddenly  setting 
the  astonished  and  trembling  spy  hard  down  he  gave  him 
a  by  no  means  gentle  application  of  his  foot  to  help  him  in 
the  way  he  should  go,  at  the  same  time  emitting  a  cry  that 
would  have  done  justice  to  the  lungs  of  any  brave  that  ever 
traversed  the  war-path. 

Esmond,  for  it  was  he,  partly  from  the  impetus  given  him 
and  partly  to  put  himself  safely  beyond  the  reach  of  the 
formidable  hand,  dashed  wildly  forward  a  few  steps,  and 
then  trembling  with  anger  and  chagrin  at  the  outrage  to 
which  he  had  been  subjected,  turned  and  faced  his  enemy. 
The  tall,  gaunt  form  stood  in  grotesque  dignity  with  his 
right  hand  pointing,  like  a  huge  sign-post  at  a  crossing,  in 
the  direction  in  which  he  had  propelled  the  young  man. 
So  gigantic  was  the  size,  and  so  altogether  strange  and  for- 
midable the  appearance  of  the  trapper,  who  purposely  gave 
himself  every  inch  of  height  he  possessed,  that  the  first  im- 
pulse of  Esmond,  who  was  courageous  enough  commonly, 
was  to  beat  a  hasty  retreat.  But  mastering  this  inclination, 
and  yielding  to  a  burning  desire  to  revenge  himself,  he 
suddenly  drew  a  revolver — a  weapon  he  never  was  with- 


284  THE   RUSSIAN"   REFUGEE. 

out — and  levelled  it  at  the  hunter.  But  the  movement 
had  been  seen  and  anticipated  by  his  sharp- vision ed 
enemy. 

"  Stranger,  put  up  yer  shooter.  I've  got  the  drop  onter 
yer,"  and  the  surprised  Australian  found  he  was  looking 
into  the  barrel  of  a  "  shooter  "  at  least  three  times  as  large 
as  his  own.  There  was  no  alternative,  and  so  the  smaller 
weapon  was  promptly  lowered  with  a  bitter  imprecation  by 
its  owner. 

"  You  hideous  vagabond,  I'll  meet  you  again  and  teach 
•you  what  it  is  to  interfere  with  me." 

Just  then  a  wild  pigeon  flew  above  the  two,  a  quick  move- 
ment on  the  part  of  the  trapper,  a  report,  and  the  bird  fell 
dead  at  Esmond's  feet. 

"Durn  me  butes,  I  kinder  'spectecl  to  tooken  the  critter's 
head  off.  Day-day,  stranger — better  trot,  I'm  getting  sort 
o'  riled." 

After  such  an  exhibition  of  marksmanship  Esmond  felt 
less  inclined  to  tarry  any  longer,  and  so  after  shaking  his  fist 
at  him,  with  an  oath  he  left  the  hunter  alone.  The  latter 
burst  into  a  loud,  harsh,  mocking  laugh  as  the  other  dis- 
appeared. 

"  Durn  my  butes,  the  critter  thought'd  scare  suthin'  with 
his  pop-gun,  ha !  ha !  ha  ! " 

The  three  awaiting  the  arrival  of  the  trapper  near  the 
mouth  of  the  cave  heard  the  shot  and  felt  some  anxiety  as 
to  its  cause  and  result. 

"  That's  Hiram's  pistol.  I  know  the  sound  of  it.  Just 
as  likely  as  not  he  has  fired  to  scare  the  other  or  add  em- 
phasis to  his  remarks."  Elsie  was  trembling  a  little  for  her 
old  friend,  but  these  words  reassured  her  somewhat.  How- 
ever, all  were  relieved  when  the  trapper  presently  came  up 
laughing  to  himself  at  his  adventure.  They  insisted  on 
hearing  the  story,  which  was  narrated  in  such  a  graphic 
way  as  to  afford  great  amusement. 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  285 

"  But  who  was  it  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Hastings. 

"  Some  pesky  critter  from  the  taown,"  returned  the  "  Gi- 
raffe," evasively,  giving  at  least  two  of  the  party  the  impres- 
sion that  he  knew  more  than  he  chose  to  say  regarding  the 
identity  of  the  individual  who  had  followed  them.  The 
bandages,  which  had  been  removed  by  Adolph  when  they 
halted  in  a  clump  of  bushes  near  the  entrance  of  the  cave  to 
await  the  trapper's  arrival,  were  now  reapplied  and  the  party 
passed  underground  once  more.  On  reaching  the  familiar 
apartment  they  were  greeted  by  the  voice  of  the  Exile, 
who  welcomed  them  warmly,  and  requested  that  they  re- 
main with  the  eyes  darkened  until  the  ceremony  of  initia- 
tion had  so  far  progressed  as  to  admit  of  their  being  re- 
stored to  sight. 

"  We  do  this,  dear  friends,  in  order  to  avoid  the  neces- 
sity of  blinding  thee  again,  and  we  will  proceed  at  once  to 
initiate  thee  unless  otherwise  desired." 

"  We  are  both  ready,  and  I  think  would  rather  have  it 
over  at  once,"  replied  Mr.  Hastings. 

So  a  few  questions  were  asked  and  answered,  and  then 
the  two  neophytes  were  conducted  round  the  room,  receiv- 
ing certain  instructions  and  points  of  information  bearing 
upon  the  aims  and  ends  of  the  order  they  were  entering. 
This  occupied  about  fifteen  minutes,  and  at  the  conclusion 
of  this  part  of  the  ceremonies  the  bandages  were  quickly 
removed  from  their  eyes,  and  Elsie  and  her  father  found 
themselves  in  the  midst  of  a  circle  composed  of  six  persons 
all  clothed  in  scarlet  from  head  to  foot.  These  all  clasped 
hands.  A  seventh  figure  of  more  imposing  mien  and 
somewhat  different  dress,  but  masked  like  the  rest,  stood 
in  the  circle  facing  them,  and  holding  in  his  right  hand  a 
large  beautifully  formed  and  ornamented  dagger,  which 
was  pointing  upward  over  their  heads.  This  person  then 
gave  a  solemn  invocation  or  prayer,  asking  that  the  great 
unseen  spirit  of  justice,  mercy,  and  truth  might  be  with 


286  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

the  two  friends  who  had  entered  the  Brotherhood  of  the 
"  Red  Circle." 

"  The  dagger  is  not  an  emblem  of  blood,  but  of  justice, 
of  self-preservation,  the  symbol  of  the  primal  law.  Every 
creature  has  a  right  to  defend  itself  and  those  dear  to  it, 
against  oppression  and  wrong.  Life  implies  and  carries 
with  it  certain  rights  which  are  inalienable,  so  long  as  not 
forfeited  by  conduct  which  trenches  upon  the  rights  of 
others." 

The  nature  and  claims  of  the  order  were  dwelt  upon,  and 
the  grips,  passwords,  etc.,  given.  As  honorary  members,  or 
associate  members,  no  obligation  was  imposed,  except  that 
of  secrecy.  Absolute  obedience  was  demanded  of  full 
members,  while  optional  obedience  was  only  expected 
from  the  others. 

"  To  help  a  brother  in  distress  is  imperative  with  us,  as 
with  all  secret  organizations,  but  with  you  this  will  be  en- 
tirely a  matter  of  conscience  and  judgment." 

The  speaker  then  added,  after  a  pause  during  which  the 
figures  forming  the  circle  slowly  chanted  what  seemed  to  be  a 
hymn  in  the  Russian  language  !  "  The  order  you  have  joined 
is  world-wide,  for  it  is  affiliated  with  societies  or  organiza- 
tions having  similar  aims  in  every  civilized  country  in  the 
world,  so  that  you  are  now  members  of  a  vast  and  powerful 
brotherhood — strong  not  merely  in  numbers  and  resources, 
but  also  in  the  proud  consciousness  of  being  banded  to- 
gether for  a  noble  object — the  freedom  and  elevation  of  the 
race."  Much  more  was  said  having  a  similar  purport,  and 
the  whole  tone  was  lofty  and  dignified,  and  the  entire  cere- 
mony impressive  and  inspiring.  In  the  final  scene  the 
eyes  of  the  new  members  were  again  covered,  this  time 
with  a  fillet  of  soft  leather,  having  some  symbolic  characters 
inscribed  upon  it.  They  were  then  led  to  a  seat,  and  in  a 
few  moments,  the  fillet  being  removed,  found  themselves 
surrounded  by  the  familiar  faces  of  the  cave  friends  includ- 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  287 

ing  Nadia  and  Sophia,  and  also  two  strangers  from  a  dis- 
tance, who  bore  the  names  of  Stefanovic  and  Perovskaia, 
and  were  officers  of  a  circle  in  a  distant  part  of  the  coun- 
try. They  had  arrived  a  few  days  before  on  business  con- 
nected with  the  order,  and  been  prevailed  upon  to  stay  and 
assist  at  the  initiation  of  the  new  members.  Mr.  Hastings 
found  the  former  gentleman  a  well-educated,  thoughtful 
man,  and  held  a  very  interesting  and  instructive  conversa- 
tion with  him.  He  referred  to  the  Patriarch  as  "  our  Chief  " 
and  said  he  was  at  the  head  of  the  order  in  America. 

"He  is,  indeed,  a  very  superior  man,  and  an  original 
thinker." 

"  I  fully  agree  with  you,"  said  Mr.  Hastings,  "  and  should 
say  that  his  son  has  inherited  a  good  deal  of  his  father's 
genius." 

"  Mr.  Adolph  !  Yes,"  smilingly  assented  Mr.  Stefanovic, 
"  but  perhaps  you  are  not  aware  that  there  is  no  actual 
blood  relationship  between  these  two  ?  " 

"  Is  that  possible  !  Why,  I  have  supposed  from  the  first 
that  they  were  father  and  son." 

"  And  so  they  are  in  a  larger  sense  than  any  father  and 
son  I  ever  met,  but  you  must  ask  the  Chief  to  explain  this 
matter.  It  is  singular  he  has  not  spoken  of  it  before." 

"  This  is  one  of  the  best  days  of  my  life,"  said  Adolph, 
immediately  after  the  initiation,  as  he  offered  his  hand  to 
Elsie,  in  congratulation.  "  To  find  you  one  of  us  gives  us 
courage.  You  must  not  be  ashamed  of  your  co-members, 
for  some  of  the  noblest  and  bravest  of  earth's  children  are 
united  with  us.  I  could  mention  names  that  would  as- 
tonish you — world-wide  names,  whose  owners  are  devoted 
workers  with  us." 

"  Well,  in  spite  of  your  daggers  and  bloody  circles,  I  do 
not  think  it  was  so  very  dreadful  after  all,"  returned  the 
young  lady.  "  Now  I  think  father  will  quite  understand 
about  the  house  and  circling  fence." 


288  THE   RUSSIAN   EEFUGEE. 

"Chief,"  said  Stefanovic  at  this  moment,  "our  new  mem- 
ber here,  Mr.  Hastings,  is  rather  surprised  when  I  tell  him 
that  you  and  our  esteemed  friend  Adolph  are  not  related 
by  blood,  and  yet  consider  yourselves  father  and  son." 

The  Patriarch  did  not  seem  surprised  or  annoyed,  as  the 
new  member  referred  to  feared  he  might  be,  at  this  abrupt 
statement,  but  smiling  pleasantly,  answered  .  promptly: 
"  Our  friend  Stefanovic  speaks  truly,  Mr.  Hastings.  There 
is  no  natural  blood  relationship  between  Adolph  and  my- 
self, but  yet  he  is  really  and  truly  my  child,  if  evidence  is 
worth  anything." 

"Father  has  a  theory  of  human  development,  which 
after  explaining  to  you,  will  remove  in  some  degree  what 
seems  so  strange  and  contradictory  in  his  statements,"  ex- 
plained Adolph,  answering  the  look  of  amused  perplexity 
in  Elsie's  eyes,  saying  which  he  quietly  withdrew  from  the 
apartment. 

The  Patriarch  continued  :  "  I  was  perhaps  wrong  not  to 
have  explained  to  you,  my  friends — doubly  so  now,  if  that 
were  possible,  since  you  have  become  members  of  our 
brotherhood — the  actual  relationship  existing  between  my 
beloved  Adolph  and  myself,  but  I  thought  best  to  defer  it 
until  after  your  initiation.  However,  I  now  gladly  avail 
myself  of  the  opportunity  afforded  to  speak  of  this  matter, 
and  others  akin  to  it.  I  am  afraid  you  will  think  me  a  sad 
dreamer  and  visionary,  Mr.  Hastings,  but  these  thoughts 
which  I  am  to  present  to  you  are  not  merely  the  vagaries 
of  senility,  but  have  had  mental  lodgment  with  me  for  over 
half  a  century.  Many,  many  years  ago,  before  winter  with 
its  snow  visited  this  head  of  mine,  I  was  the  happy  father 
of  a  gentle,  loving  boy.  Some  fourteen  years  ere  this,  my 
beloved  wife,  who  had  so  bravely  faced  the  battle  of  life 
with  me,  and  nerved  me  to  my  duty — my  faithful  Sophia, 
had  died,  leaving  a  baby-boy,  a  few  days  old." 

The  old  man  paused  a  moment  or  two,  and   closed  his 


THE    RUSSIAN    REFUGEE.  289 

eyes,  as  if  oppressed  by  the  painful  images  of  that  past  he 
was  engaged  in  resurrecting. 

"As  you  may  suppose,  my  life  was  largely  wrapped 
up  in  the  child  ;  and  I  resolved,  God  helping  me,  to  bring 
him  up  worthy  of  her  who  was  gone.  The  little  Adolph 
grew  to  be  the  joy  of  my  widowed  heart.  Docile,  affec- 
tionate, apt  and  ingenious,  he  was  all  I  could  wish.  Un- 
fortunately, being  blind  to  his  physical  frailty,  I  fostered 
his  eager  desire  for  knowledge,  leaving  the  body  to  care  for 
itself.  His  love  for  the  natural  sciences  was  remarkable, 
and  his  knowledge  of  botany  and  geology  phenomenal  for 
one  of  his  tender  age.  But,  alas  !  as  the  spirit  grew,  the 
body  faded  :  lung  trouble  showed  itself  ;  a  few  months  of 
wasting  sickness,  and  my  boy,  my  dearly  beloved  child, 
then  passed  out  of  my  life,  leaving  me  as  one  from  whom 
the  light  had  departed — the  future  looming  before  me  as 
one  continuous  night,  unbroken  by  a  single  star.  One 
thing  saved  me  from  absolute  despair — the  belief,  which  I 
had  long  entertained,  that  a  large  number  of  those  who 
leave  this  life  of  earth  return  to  it  again,  either  immediately 
or  within  a  brief  period.  This  opinion,  or  rather  fixed  be- 
lief, I  had  arrived  at  by  slow  process  of  thought  and  numer- 
ous observations  in  the  world  of  human  life.  I  had  suc- 
ceeded in  tracing  out,  to  my  complete  satisfaction,  several 
cases  of  such  re-incarnation.  So  I  roused  myself  from  my 
lethargy  of  sorrow,  feeling  assured  that  I  should  again  see 
my  child  in  earthly  form,  that  again  he  would  form  part  of 
the  human  family.  Yet  the  belief  that  I  should  once  more 
clasp  the  gone  one  to  my  bereaved  heart  was,  you  may  say, 
resting  upon  exceedingly  slender  foundations,  even  sup- 
posing that  my  re-incarnation  theory  was  susceptible  of 
proof.  For  how  could  I  have  knowledge  of  all  the  children 
born  into  the  world  within  a  year  or  so  of  my  child's  death  ? 
I  am  aware  that  the  entire  thing  looks  wild  and  fanciful  in 
the  extreme,  and  that  any  man's  sanity  might  justly  be 
19 


290  THE   EUSSIAN   KEFUGEE. 

doubted,  who  should  expect  such  a  thing,  or  even  claim  it 
was  possible.  But  belief  is  a  curious  thing — not  governed 
by  fixed  laws,  or  necessarily  related  to  mathematics. 

"As  you  may  conceive,  having  such  a  hope  I  was  ever  on  the 
alert,  and  finally  Providence,  or  my  good  angel — or  instinct, 
or  if  you  will,  chance — at  length  justified  my  faith  and  re- 
warded my  efforts.  Some  years  after  my  loss,  I  found  my 
child.  It  was  a  mutual  recognition.  I  knew  him  at  once, 
and  upon  uttering  his  old  name — the  name  of  my  boy — 
he  looked  up  in  a  puzzled  way,  and  at  once  responded  and 
came  to  me.  Some  other  time  I  will  tell  you,  if  you  wish, 
how  I  was  directed  to  the  then  home  of  my  child  ;  now  I 
will  simply  tell  the  main  story.  He  was  the  youngest  of 
a  large  family.  The  parents  were  hard-working,  strong, 
healthy  people,  honest  and  intelligent,  belonging  to  the  la- 
boring class,  and  the  little  fellow  was  having  every  advan- 
tage for  physical  development.  After  satisfying  myself,  by 
varied  and  repeated  trials,  that  it  was  the  soul  of  my  Aclolph 
that  lived  in  the  rugged  form  of  this  humbly-born  child, 
I  resolved  to  use  all  legitimate  means  to  induce  these 
worthy  people  to  resign  him  to  me.  It  was  a  delicate,  and, 
to  most,  would  have  seemed  a  hopeless  task  ;  but,  to  my  sur- 
prise and  relief,  they  did  not  make  the  opposition  which  I 
had  anticipated.  They  had  a  large  family,  as  said,  and 
their  means  were  limited  ;  and  this  child  differed  so  much 
from  the  others,  in  his  tastes  and  desires,  that  already  the 
parents  began  to  entertain  fears  of  his  future.  'We  can- 
not afford  a  gentleman  in  the  family,'  said  the  good  woman  ; 
'and  although  Roger  is  willing  and  industrious,  yet  the 
little  fellow  seems  to  be  always  longing  and  looking  for 
something  which  we  haven't  got.  His  language,  too,  is  dif- 
ferent from  that  of  his  brothers.  He  uses  better  words,  and 
says  he  means  to  be  a  scholar  when  he  grows  up ;  and  so, 
dear  as  he  is  to  us,  if  a  good  home  offers  for  him,  where 
he  can  have  better  schooling  than  we  can  give  him,  why, 


THE   BTJSSIAN   REFUGEE.  291 

his  father  and  I  are  willing  to  let  him  go.'  This  was  ex- 
pressed in  the  homely,  simple  style  of  her  class.  I  made 
the  worthy  people  a  substantial  present,  and  brought 
Adolph  home.  The  name  Koger  was  not  mentioned  after- 
ward in  speaking  of  or  to  him,  and  he  made  no  allu- 
sion to  it  himself,  only  on  one  occasion,  when — about  a 
year  after  I  brought  him  home — a  boy,  in  answer  to  my 
question,  answered  that  his  name  was  Roger  ;  and  Adolph, 
who  was  standing  near,  immediately  called  out,  '  What  a 
funny  name  !  They  used  to  call  me  that  once,'  at  the  same 
time  laughing  heartily.  But  I  must  not  weary  you  further 
at  this  time — only  to  say,  in  conclusion,  that  the  boyhood 
and  manhood  of  Adolph  have  continuously  proved  to  me 
that  I  made  no  mistake,  but  that  he  is  my  child." 

"A  most  extraordinary  narrative,"  said  Mr.  Hastings, 
smiling,  and  one  which  I  fear  would  gain  but  little  cre- 
dence with  most  people.  However,  the  metempsychosis  or 
transmigration  theory  has  always  been  a  subject  of  interest 
to  me  ;  and  I  shall  be  glad  to  converse  with  you  again  on 
this  subject.  It  certainly  opens  up  a  field  for  curious  in- 
vestigation ;  and  life  has  taught  me  one  lesson,  at  least,  and 
that  is,  to  be  very  cautious  in  saying  what  is,  and  is  not 
possible,  in  connection  with  this  curious  existence  of 
ours." 

Perovskaia  here  remarked:  "  Such  views  of  life  and  its 
relations  are  not  so  foreign  to  Russian  ears  as  perhaps  to 
others  ;  for  we  think  that  man  is  justified  in  speculating  on 
the  unseen  and  the  unknown — not  blindly  accepting  the 
dogmas  of  the  past  concerning  it.  Although  I  do  not  en- 
tirely agree  with  our  Chief  in  many  things,  as  every  man 
should  have  a  mind  of  his  own,  yet  I  think  that  this  belief 
of  his  of  returning  to  earth  explains  many  things  that 
otherwise  are  inexplicable." 

Stefauovic  then  remarked  that  he  had  seen  two  cases  very 
similar  to  that  of  the  Chief  and  Aclolph. 


292  THE  RUSSIAN   EEFUGEE. 

"  Father,  -will  not  these  friends  come  and  see  us,  some 
time,  at  our  residence  ?  "  asked  Elsie. 

"  My  house  is  open  to  them,  and  we  shall  be  glad  to  see 
them,"  returned  her  father. 

"I  must  speak  for  all,"  said  Adolph,  who  had  just  come 
in.  "  Circumstances  which  you  can  understand,  dear 
friends,  will  cause  us  to  decline,  at  least  for  the  present. 
Ivan  Sobieski  is,  you  remember,  a  refugee  from  penal  servi- 
tude in  Siberia,  and  in  some  danger — at  least  for  a  time. 
For  his  sake,  we  do  not  well  to  draw  public  attention  on 
us,  just  now." 

"Possibly  you  are  right,  yet  I  do  not  think  your  friend 
runs  the  slightest  risk  ;  but  for  a  short  time,  perhaps,  he  had 
best  remain  quiet  and  retired.  Some  time  in  the  future, 
when  it  seems  more  expedient,  then  we  shall  see  you  at 
the  Hermitage." 

"  Sophia,  I  do  wish  you  could  come  ;  I  have  so  many 
things  I  should  like  to  show  you,"  said  Elsie,  fondly  strok- 
ing the  hair  of  the  little  Russian  maiden. 

"Can't  I  go,  mother?"  she  asked,  eagerly,  in  her  native 
tongue,  and  pouted  just  a  little  when  the  mother  shook 
her  head.  "  I  would  like  to  wait  on  you  and  do  things  for 
you.  May  I,  some  time,  please  ?  "  the  little  one  pleaded,  lift- 
ing her  bright,  expressive  face  to  her  friend. 

"  Perhaps  you  can,  some  day  soon  ;  we  will  see,"  said  the 
young  lady,  in  kissing  her  good-by. 

It  was  pretty  late  in  the  afternoon  when  the  father  and 
daughter  reached  home,  after  an  experience  which  was  re- 
freshing, if  for  nothing  else  than  its  being  novel.  New,  at 
least,  entirely  to  Elsie  ;  to  her  father,  new  in  the  sense  that 
the  fresh  page  of  the  magazine  is  new,  presenting  thoughts 
which  have  come  to  us  before,  perhaps,  but  never  in  this 
particular  form.  The  initiation  was  impressive  ;  but  to  a 
Mason,  as  Mr.  Hastings  was,  it  was  not  startling  or  specially 
strange,  for  there  is  almost  of  necessity  a  similarity  about 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  293 

all  these  things  ;  but  the  speculative  theories  of  the  Ancient 
concerning  his  child,  coincided  with  some  previous  ideas 
which  had  obtained  lodgement  in  his  brain,  and  set  him 
thinking.  "  At  any  rate,"  Mr.  Hastings  said  to  himself, 
"it  is  pleasant  to  meet  with  one  who  dares  to  think  outside 
the  old  channels,  and  is  willing  to  express  those  thoughts 
without  reference  to  consequences." 


CHAPTER  XXH. 
ENGAGED. 

NEXT  day,  the  Hermitage  was  again  filled  with  visitors,  so 
that  Elsie's  promised  leisure  vanished  almost  ere  begun. 
Dr.  Seaman  and  the  Thompsons  arrived  unexpectedly  from 
the  West — the  Englishman  having  received  news  from  his 
partner  in  London  which  decided  him  to  curtail  his  trip 
somewhat. 

"  But  he  will  remain  until  after  the  wedding — only  War- 
ren must  hasten  up  matters,"  said  he,  in  announcing  that 
the  physician  had  captured  the  gentle  Ellen's  affections,  and 
she  had  agreed  to  remain  behind,  and  share  the  lot  of  a 
country  doctor. 

Yes,  Warren  had  decided,  amid  the  soft,  suggestive 
influences  of  the  evenings  spent  within  hearing  of  the 
Great  Cataract,  that  the  English  maiden  was  undoubtedly 
his  P.  C. ;  and,  all  opposers  to  the  conclusion  being  calmly 
ignored,  or  else  boldly  set  at  defiance,  he  had  on  the  last 
evening  spent  there,  dared  to  tell  her  so,  and  asked  her  to 
renounce  her  country  for  his  sake.  The  Grand  Horseshoe 
was  beautifully  wreathed  in  a  silvery  mist,  woven  of  Luna's 
bright  beams  in  the  warp  of  Niagara's  spray,  making  a 
bridal-veil  of  exquisite  pattern  and  beauty.  The  resem- 
blance was  dangerously  suggestive  ;  and  Warren,  the  cun- 
ning fellow,  took  the  cue  from  it,  and  pressed  his  suit. 
He  did  not  realize  how  much  it  involved  to  the  fair  girl 
beside  him — to  give  up  native  land,  and  parents,  and 
brother  and  sister,  for  one  that  she  had  known  only  for  a 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  295 

few  brief  months.  Ellen's  lips  quivered  and  her  cheeks 
paled  at  the  sacrifice  ;  but,  it  was  the  old  story,  and  the 
lover  conquered.  The  couple  returned  to  the  hotel— en- 
gaged— conditional,  however,  on  parental  consent.  Mr. 
Thompson  was  a  little  astonished  and  slightly  hurt  at  first, 
that  he  had  not  been  consulted  in  advance  by  the  gentleman, 
according  to  the  English  custom,  but  soon  regained  his 
customary  good-humor,  and  said  he  supposed  that  when 
in  Yankeeland  one  must  submit  to  what  the  Yankees 
do. 

"However,  we  must  consult  Mrs.  Thompson  about  it; 
and,  if  she  consents  to  lose  her  daughter  in  such  fashion, 
why,  I  have  nothing  to  say — only  that  I  do  wish,  Warren, 
you  were  an  Englishman,  and  going  to  practise  your  pro- 
fession in  England.  You  have  a  fine — yes,  a  magnificent 
country  here  ;  but  it  is  isn't  England,  by  any  means." 

Time  was,  when  Seaman  would  have  taken  up  the  cud- 
gels for  the  "land  of  the  free,"  and  proved,  so  far  as  in 
him  lay,  that  England  shouldn't  be  mentioned  in  the  same 
breath  with  America  ;  but  he  was  not  in  a  fighting  mood 
on  this  particular  evening,  and  felt  that  England  was  no 
doubt  the  best  country  on  earth,  since  Ellen  was  its  off- 
spring, and  of  course  America  came  next.  And  now,  three 
weeks  after  this  momentous  occasion,  they  were  back  at  the 
Hermitage,  and  Warren  was  making  preparations  to  secure 
a  suitable  office.  The  marriage  was  to  take  place  as  soon 
as  word  was  received  from  Mrs.  Thompson  ;  for  no  doubt 
was  entertained  as  to  her  consent  being  given,  Warren 
being  a  prime  favorite  with  her.  The  meeting  between 
Elsie  and  the  bride-elect  was  peculiarly  interesting,  such  a 
thorough  sympathy  existed  between  them.  Ellen  blushed, 
and  then  burst  into  tears,  as  the  young  hostess  congratu- 
lated her  warmly. 

"My  dear  Ellen,"  said  she,  fully  entering  into  her  feel- 
ings, then  putting  her  arm  around  her  waist,  she  led  her  into 


296  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

a  quiet  corner,  where  they  could  be  alone,  and  have  a  good 
talk  all  to  themselves.  This  was  just  what  the  tender- 
hearted, affectionate  stranger  needed,  and  she  opened  her 
heart  to  her  companion.  Ellen  was  at  this  time  pining  for 
her  mother,  to  whom  she  could  have  gone  and  unbosomed 
herself  ;  and  Elsie,  wisely  discerning  this  necessity,  gently 
and  tenderly  invited  her  confidence,  and  so  gave  her  an  op- 
portunity to  relieve  her  overburdened  heart.  The  good  cry 
and  the  free  conversation  did  the  young  girl  a  world  of 
benefit,  and  established  a  friendship  between  her  and  the 
American  friend  which  was  a  source  of  great  comfort  to 
both. 

One  might  have  supposed  that  Louisa  would  have  been 
the  natural  confidant  of  her  sister  ;  but,  although  very  fond 
of  each  other  in  a  true  sisterly  way,  yet  they  were  by 
nature  so  essentially  unlike  that  a  very  full  exchange  of 
confidence  was  impossible.  They  could  not  quite  under- 
stand each  other.  On  the  other  hand  though  Elsie  and 
Louisa  were  much  alike  in  their  general  characteristics,  both 
being  self-reliant  and  courageous,  yet  the  latter  lacked,  to 
some  extent,  a  thorough  sympathy  for  weaknesses  which 
were  foreign  to  her  own  nature,  while  the  former  could,  in  a 
marked  degree,  put  herself  in  the  place  of  the  weak  one,  and 
realize  how  she  might,  under  certain  conditions,  feel  and 
act  similarly.  Both  had  strength,  both  were  kind-hearted  ; 
but  Elsie  had  a  warm  sympathy  and  pity  for  emotions 
and  feelings  which  she  did  not  herself  share,  while  Miss 
Thompson  found  it  at  times  difficult  to  avoid  a  feeling  akin 
to  contempt  for  what  appeared  to  her  stronger  nature  a 
foolish  yielding  to  weak  sentiment  or  superficial  emo- 
tion. 

"  Elsie,  Elsie  !  how  can  I  give  up  my  mother  ?  I  some- 
times feel  as  if  I  had  done  wrong,  and  acted  undutifully  in 
yielding  to  Warren  ;  and  yet  I  love  him  more  than  I  can 
tell,"  she  added,  her  mood  somewhat  changing.  "  But  oh, 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  297 

sometimes  it  does  seem  dreadful  to  let  father  and  Louisa 
go  home,  and  leave  me  here  alone  ! " 

"  Dear  girl,  you  wont  be  alone  ;  and  Warren  is  one  of  the 
best  fellows  in  the  world.  I  am  so  glad  you  are  to  be  my 
new  cousin — no  one  else  could  I  like  so  much."  And  then, 
in  answer  to  Elsie's  questioning,  she  told  her  all  about  it, 
and  they  had  a  mutually  pleasant  talk,  and  at  the  end  of  the 
half  hour  Ellen  felt  quite  comforted. 

"  Please  don't  tell  Louisa  that  I  have  been  talking  this 
way  to  you,  Elsie.  She  would  not  understand,  and  say  I  was 
weak  and  foolish." 

"  Just  as  you*  desire,  my  dear  cousin-to-be.  But  who  is 
that  calling  me  ?  " 

"  Why,  Harry,  is  that  you  ?  Miss  Ellen  Thompson,  of 
England,  Harry  ;  Ellen,  this  is  my  cousin,  Mr.  Esmond." 

The  young  man  glanced  admiringly,  and  yet  with  a  quick, 
half-suspicious  look  at  the  young  lady ;  and  then,  in  his 
usual  easy,  self-possessed  way,  addressed  a  few  pleasant 
words  to  her. 

"But,  Elsie,  if  Miss  Thompson  will  excuse  us,  I  want  to 
consult  you,  for  a  moment.  You  know  cousins  and  brothers 
are  always  wanting  something,  Miss  Thompson." 

Ellen  laughed,  and  told  them  not  to  mind  her ;  for  she 
was  "  going  to  write  a  letter,"  leaving  the  room  as  she 
spoke. 

"  Now,  Elsie,  I  want  to  ask  you  who,  in  the  name  of 
all  that  is  wonderful,  is  that  talking  with  uncle  on  the 
lawn." 

"  Why,  Hairy,  I  believe  you  look  actually  scared.  That 
is  cousin  Warren — Dr.  Warren  Seaman.  You  have  heard 
me  speak  of  him.  It  is  time  two  cousins  became  known 
to  each  other.  Come,  and  I'll  introduce  you." 

"  The  same  one  that  was  in  England  lately,  is  it,  Elsie  ?  " 
said  the  other,  who  was  scrutinizing  Wan-en  like  a  de- 
tective. 


298  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

"  Yes,  the  same  ;  and  he  is  engaged  to  that  young  lady, 
who  was  here  just  now.  Come  along." 

"  No,  thanks,  Elsie — some  other  time  ;  I'm  uncommonly 
busy  to-day.  By-the-by,  can't  we  have  a  ride,  this  evening  ? 
I  don't  see  much  of  you  lately." 

"  Not  this  evening,  I'm  afraid,  Harry  ;  but  some  of  these 
evenings,  we'll  have  a  chance." 

"Deuced  unlucky !  "  muttered  the  young  man  to  himself, 
as  he  took  a  circuit  to  avoid  attracting  the  attention  of  the 
party  on  the  lawn. 


CHAPTER  XXIH. 
A  THUNDER  CLOUD. 

ABOUT  three  days  after  the  return  of  Seaman  and  his 
friends  to  the  mansion,  Mr.  Hastings  received  a  letter,  hav- 
ing on  the  envelope,  "  Ferns  &  Lay  cock,  attorn  eys-at-law," 
etc.  ;  and,  as  one  will  occasionally,  gazed  on  the  outside, 
trying  to  imagine  when  or  where  he  had  had  any  deal- 
ings with  these  gentlemen.  Of  course,  it  occurred  to  him 
a  moment  later  that  the  best  way  to  solve  the  problem 
was  to  open  the  letter,  and  find  out.  The  same  firm-name 
was  on  the  upper  left-hand  corner  of  the  letter,  and  on  the 
other  to  the  right  the  full  names  : 

ANTHONY  FERNS, 
JAMES  H.  LAYCOCK. 

DENBRIDGE  WELLS,  July  6,  18 — . 

ROGER  HASTINGS,  ESQ. 

DEAK  SIR  :  Permit  us  to  inform  you,  in  the  interests  of  our  client, 
Arthur  Liscomb,  Esq. ,  that  the  said  Arthur  Liscomb,  having  a  prior 
claim  on  the  property  known  as  the  Hermitage,  at  present  occupied 
by  you,  has  placed  the  matter  in  our  hands  with  instructions  to  pro- 
ceed at  once  to  obtain  legal  possession.  Proofs  of  said  claim  can  be 
seen  by  you  or  your  counsel  at  any  time  by  calling  at  our  office. 
We  are,  sir,  respectfully, 

FEHNS  &  LAYCOCK. 

An  amused  smile  crept  over  the  face  of  the  reader,  as  he 
finished  the  above. 

"  Cool,  I  should  say  !  What  do  you  think  of  that,  War- 
ren ? "  handing  the  epistle  to  his  nephew,  who  just  then 
entered  the  library. 


300  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

"  Why,  Uncle  Koger,  what  does  this  mean  ?  "  cried  the 
doctor  in  alarm. 

"It  simply  means  a  piece  of  rascality  to  deprive  me  of  my 
property,"  returned  the  other,  grimly  ;  "  but  I'm  too  old  to 
be  easily  bluffed." 

"  But  who  is  this  claimant,  Liscomb,  and  is  this  a  reputa- 
ble firm  of  lawyers  ?  " 

"  Liscomb  I  know  nothing  about ;  and  yet  there  used  to 
be  a  Liscomb  around  here — a  sort  of  real  estate  agent,  who 
had  a  son,  a  pretty  wild  fellow,  called  Arthur,  if  I  remember 
correctly.  He  went  off  abroad  somewhere,  and  the  father 
died  shortly  afterward.  Surely  it  cannot  be  the  son.  He 
was  rascal  enough  for  anything,  according  to  all  I've  heard 
of  him." 

"  But  these  lawyers,  uncle,  are  they  reputable  men  ?  " 

"  I  have  never  directly  had  any  dealings  with  them,  but  I 
have  heard  St.  Johns,  who  knew  them,  characterize  them  as 
a  couple  of  scoundrels — shrewd  and  unscrupulous  pettifog- 
gers, who  are  always  ready  to  take  up  cases  upon  specula- 
tion." 

"  What  will  you  do  about  it  ?  It  seems  to  me  not  worthy 
any  serious  attention." 

"  Oh,  it  has  something  behind  it,  you  may  be  sure,  and 
I  must  consult  St.  Johns.  I  will  just  enclose  him  the  let- 
ter, and  act  on  his  suggestions." 

Three  days  later  an  answer  came  from  his  friend,  telling 
him  that  he  had  demanded  the  grounds  of  claim  from 
Ferns  &  Laycock,  and  he  enclosed  an  abstract  of  their 
reply.  The  claimant  was  the  son  of  Thomas  Liscomb,  the 
real  estate  agent,  who  had  purchased  the  property  from 
Nicholas  Kuprianoff,  who  had  originally  laid  out  the  estate 
and  built  the  house.  The  real  estate  agent  had  died  sud- 
denly, shortly  after  buying  the  property,  and  before  he  had 
time  to  take  possession,  while  his  son  and  only  child  had 
left  him  for  parts  unknown  some  few  months  before.  The 


THE   KUSSIAN  REFUGEE.  301 

latter,  now  an  old  man  of  seventy  or  thereabouts,  had  re- 
turned after  all  these  years  to  claim  the  property  as  his 
father's  heir.  Mr.  St.  Johns  said  the  deed  was  dated  back 
fifty-three  years,  while  Mr.  Whiteley's  deed,  from  whom 
Mr.  Hastings  had  purchased,  was  at  least  a  year  later.  "Is 
it  a  forgery  ?  "  you  naturally  inquire.  It  would  seem  not, 
for  they  concede  the  possible  genuineness  of  both  deeds, 
but  claim  that  the  Russian  fraudulently  deeded  the  prop- 
erty the  second  time,  after  the  sudden  death  of  the  first 
purchaser,  hoping  to  escape  detection,  as  the  first  trans- 
action had  not  been  made  public.  Nothing  had  been 
heard  of  the  younger  Liscomb  until  lately,  when  about  a 
year  since  he  wrote  to  request  that  any  papers,  etc.,  left  by 
his  father  should  be  forwarded  to  him  in  New  South 
Wales.  Finding  this  deed  among  his  effects,  as  soon  as 
possible  he  wound  up  his  affairs,  and  is  now  here  to  obtain 
possession  of  the  fine  property,  out  of  which  he  claims  he  has 
been  kept  all  these  years. 

"  Don't  lose  any  sleep  over  this  affair,  for  I  hardly  think 
the  Hermitage  is  in  any  danger  of  changing  proprietors 
soon  ;  but  yet  I  am  afraid  we  must  fight  these  fellows,  for 
they  are  as  shrewd  and  unscrupulous  as  the  old  devil  him- 
self," said  the  writer,  in  conclusion. 

Elsie  was  indeed  astonished  and  indignant  to  hear  of  the 
attempt  to  deprive  them  of  their  beloved  home,  the  place 
of  her  birth. 

"It  is  an  infamous  slander,"  she  urged,  "  against  that 
old  Russian  who  first  owned  and  made  the  estate  what  it 
is,  although  of  course  it  has  been  much  improved  since  his 
time.  I  always  heard  he  was  the  very  soul  of  honor,  and 
now  to  defame  him  in  his  grave  !  It  is  a  conspiracy,  father, 
and  as  Mr.  St.  Johns  says,  '  we  must  fight  to  the  bitter 
end.'" 

Her  father  smiled  at  her  enthusiasm  and  assured  her 
everything  should  be  done  to  protect  their  home. 


302  THE  RUSSIAN  KEFUGEE. 

"  Father,"  said  Elsie,  presently,  as  if  a  sudden  thought 
had  come  to  her,  "wouldn't  it  be  a  good  idea  to  consult 
the  '  Patriarch  '  about  this.  He  probably  knew  the  origi- 
nal proprietor,  being  a  fellow-countryman,  and  may  be  able 
to  suggest  something  ?  " 

"  A  good  plan,  Elsie,  and  in  the  meantime  I  will  look  up 
my  deed  and  ascertain  the  exact  date." 

At  dinner  that  day  Mr.  Hastings  seemed  absent-minded 
and  more  reserved  than  usual,  which  Seaman  rallied  him 
on,  claiming  that  he  lived  too  retired  a  life,  and  should  take 
Elsie  off  for  the  trip  that  the  visitors  had  just  returned  from. 

"  Just  you  go,  uncle,  and  we  will  take  charge  of  every- 
thing and  keep  matters  in  fine  trim  until  you  return." 

"Indeed,  I  shall  vote  in  the  negative,"  observed  Mr. 
Thompson,  quickly  ;  "  for  the  short  time  of  our  stay  in  this 
fine  country,  I  want  to  see  as  much  of  our  host  and  his  fair 
daughter  as  possible." 

"Thank  you,"  replied  the  proprietor  of  the  mansion, 
"  but  if  I  was  to  disappear  for  a  month  at  this  particular 
crisis  I  am  afraid  I  should  find  other  occupants  at  the  Her- 
mitage when  we  returned." 

"  What  do  you  mean,  father  ?  What  have  you  heard  fur- 
ther about  that  matter  ?  Nothing  since  morning,  surely  ?  " 
said  Elsie,  in  alarm,  for  she  knew  by  her  father's  manner 
that  something  was  wrong,  more  than  she  knew. 

"  I  do  not  like  to  mention  unpleasant  facts  at  dinner,  my 
dear,  but  as  you  have  asked  the  question,  I  will  say  that  I 
am  much  vexed  at  not  being  able  to  find  my  deed  of  the 
estate.  It  is  not  where  I  am  satisfied  I  left  it." 

"  Oh,  father,  I  fear  it  was  stolen  during  the  robber}', 
then." 

"  But  what  could  robbers  want  with  a  deed  ?  "  remarked 
Mr.  Thompson,  incredulously  ;  "they  could  not  use  it  in 
any  way.  Besides,  I  suppose  these  things  are  all  registered 
in  a  public  office,  as  they  are  with  us  ?  " 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  303 

"That  is  very  true,"  said  the  host,  gloomily,  "but  the 
books  of  registration  for  the  county  were  all  destroyed  in 
the  fire  which  destroyed  the  Court-house  this  spring." 

"  But  then,  uncle,  if  there  is  nothing  else,  the  great  fact 
of  undisputed  possession  for  over  a  quarter  of  a  century 
would  be  quite  sufficient  before  any  jury  in  the  world," 
confidently  returned  Seaman. 

"  Not  in  the  face  of  a  prior  deed  properly  attested,  I  am 
afraid.  However,  we  must  not  borrow  trouble,  and  indeed 
I  feel  guilty  intruding  this  matter  upon  you  at  all ;  let  us 
dismiss  it.  There  will  be  some  way  out  of  the  difficulty." 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 
A  BIT  OF  BLUE  SKY. 

THE  next  day  a  very  tender,  carefully  worded  epistle  ar- 
rived from  Roland,  asking  Elsie  to  forgive  any  unkind 
words  he  had  impulsively  uttered,  and  hinting  a  hope  that 
she  would  some  day  listen  to  his  suit  more  favorably. 
"  You  are  my  ideal  woman,  dear  Miss  Hastings,  and  I  can- 
not give  you  up.  Just  think  of  the  long  friendship  be- 
tween our  families,  and  do  not  be  deluded  by  a  mere  whim 
or  fancy  for  one  who  is  your  inferior  in  rank  and  education." 

The  young  lady  realized,  more  keenly  than  the  writer 
would  have  liked,  how  hard  it  had  been  for  him  to  write  in 
this  temperate  style  of  the  foreigner,  for  one  or  two  words, 
no  doubt  very  different  in  sentiment,  had  been  carefully 
scratched  out  and  others  written  over  them. 

"Poor  Roland,  how  I  wish  he  was  safely  married  and 
settled  in  life  with  someone  who  would  supply  his  defects 
of  character,"  she  said  to  herself.  Having  known  Roland, 
from  childhood  she  had  a  very  sisterly  affection  for  him, 
and  she  felt  saddened  now  to  think  that  this  had  been  mis- 
taken by  himself  and  mother,  if  not  by  the  rest  of  his  fam- 
ily, for  a  more  tender  feeling. 

Dr.  Seaman  had  succeeded  in  securing  a  suitable  office 
just  in  the  outskirts  of  the  village,  in  a  part  which  was  be- 
.comiug  very  popular  for  residence,  and  new  houses  were 
springing  up  rapidly. 

The  house  was  a  new  one,  and  was  offered  to  him  on 
very  advantageous  terms,  with  the  privilege  of  buying  at  a 
fixed  amount  at  the  expiration  of  a  year  should  he  so  de- 


THE   RUSSIAN   KEFUGEE.  305 

sire.  At  his  request  Ellen  inspected  it  before  closing  the 
bargain,  and  was  much  pleased  with  it. 

"What  a  nice  office  for  you,  dear,  away  from  the  noise 
of  the  house." 

"Ha,  ha,"  he  laughed,  "the  noise  of  the  house,  and  this 
one  of  the  quietest  little  women  in  the  world.  Why,  Ellen 
dear,  I  think  the  noise  will  be  shut  up  in  the  office  ;  you 
hardly  dream  what  a  restless  mortal  I  am." 

"  Well,  Warren,  you  can  be  as  noisy  as  you  like,  and  I 
will  help  you  if  it  adds  to  your  enjoyment,"  she  responded, 
turning  to  him  a  face  in  which  he  read  a  bright  future 
written  in  characters  of  tenderness  and  trust. 

He  felt  in  that  moment  as  he  had  not  before,  how  entire 
was  the  self-surrender  of  this  gentle  spirit,  who  was  giving 
up  so  much  to  venture  unquestioningly  upon  an  unknown 
future  with  him,  and  inwardly  resolved  that  she  should 
never  repent  her  choice. 

"I  am  seriously  annoyed  about  this  trouble  of  Uncle 
Roger's.  It  will  be  terrible  if  those  scoundrels  should  suc- 
ceed in  getting  the  Hermitage,"  Seaman  said  as  they  were 
walking  home. 

"  Oh,  surely  it  can  never  come  to  that  if  there  is  any 
justice  in  the  country.  I  know  you  will  smile  at  me,  but  I 
cannot  help  wishing  the  case  was  to  be  tried  in  England. 
I  should  have  no  fear  of  the  result,  then." 

"Indeed,  I  don't  smile  at  you,  Ellen,  for  I  found  myself 
saying  the  same  thing  to  uncle  this  very  morning,  for  the 
administration  of  justice  there  is  not  subject  to  so  many 
influences  as  here.  But  uncle  has  unbounded  faith  in  St. 
Johns,  and  our  judges,  as  a  rule,  are  good  men,  at  least 
those  of  the  higher  courts." 

"  Why,  where  have  you  two  been  ?  I  have  been  searching 
for  you  everywhere,"  said  Elsie,  when  they  reached  the 
mansion,  meeting  them  on  the  front  steps  with  a  letter  in 
her  hand. 


306  THE  RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

"  Everywhere  !  what  a  fib,  Cousin  Elsie.  Everywhere  is 
a  pretty  big  place,  and  we  certainly  occupied  one  corner  of 
it,  did  we  not,  Ellen  ?  " 

"  But  you  have  a  letter  for  me,"  said  the  doctor,  trying  to 
snatch  the  epistle. 

"  No,  sir,  it  isn't  for  you,"  the  young  lady  replied,  dexter- 
ously eluding  his  grasp.  "It  is  for  Ellen,  and  she  shall 
have  it  when  she  tells  me  where  you  have  both  been,  what 
you  have  been  doing,  all  the  nice  things  you  have  said  to 
her,  etc." 

"  I  knew  the  letter  was  for  me,  and  it  is  for  me — that  is, 
for  my  other  me.  Give  it  up  at  once  or  I'll  arrest  you  for 
defrauding  the  United  States  males,  of  which  I  have  the 
honor  to  be  one." 

So  saying,  the  speaker  sprang  for  his  cousin,  who,  how- 
ever, was  too  quick  for  him,  and  gaining  the  lawn  was  soon 
heading  him  in  a  rapid  chase  on  the  green  turf. 

"  Bravo,  bravo !  "  shouted  Mr.  Thompsom,  who  suddenly 
appeared  on  the  scene.  "I'll  bet  on  Miss  Hastings.  Why, 
Warren,  you're  nowhere.  Might  as  well  chase  Atalanta," 
and  indeed  the  physician,  although  a  pretty  fast  runner, 
soon  found  he  was  outmatched  and  was  finally  obliged  to 
abandon  the  vain  attempt  to  overtake  the  flying  steps  of 
the  swift- footed  maiden,  and  retreated  to  the  starting-point, 
panting  severely  after  his  exertions. 

"  Mr.  Thompson  compares  Elsie  to  Atalanta,"  remarked 
Mr.  Hastings,  who  also  had  joined  the  group  of  spectators  ; 
"  but  it  is  very  evident  that  you  are  not  Hippomenes,  War- 
ren." 

"No,  uncle,"  said  the  young  man  as  soon  as  he  was  able 
to  speak,  "  but  I  have  a  strong  suspicion  that  Hippomenes 
lives  not  a  thousand  miles  from  here,  and  some  of  these 
days  we  shall  witness  another  race  with  a  very  different  re- 
sult," and  the  speaker  glanced  at  his  cousin  mischievously. 

Elsie,  who  was  resting  at  a  safe  distance,  felt  her  cheeks 


THE    RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  307 

flush  and  burn,  she  could  hardly  tell  why,  at  the  remark 
and  glance  of  her  conquered  foe,  but  heated  as  she  was  by 
the  race,  this  easily  escaped  the  notice  of  all  but  the  one 
who  had  caused  it ;  and  seeing  that  he  was  about  to  follow 
up  his  attack,  she  dropped  the  letter  into  Ellen's  hand,  say- 
ing, "  You  can  make  the  confession  after  reading  the  let- 
ter," and  then  turning  to  her  cousin  with  "  For  shame  ! 
outrun  by  a  woman  ! "  she  disappeared  in  the  house. 

The  letter  proved  to  be  from  Mrs.  Thompson,  in  which 
she  gave  unqualified  permission  for  the  marriage  to  take 
place,  although  regretting  exceedingly  that  her  child  should 
not  return  home  first,  and  saying  that  the  thought  of  being 
separated  from  her  by  the  Atlantic  was  at  first  almost  ap- 
palling, but  after  reflection  she  had  gradually  become 
reconciled  to  it  in  the  belief  that  she  should  see  them  for  a 
long  visit  once  a  year.  "  To  you,  and  you  only,  as  the  son 
of  my  old  friend,  could  I  trust  Ellen  under  such  conditions, 
but  I  have  taken  you  into  my  mother's  heart,  and  feel  that 
my  dear  child  is  safe  with  you,"  she  wrote  to  Warren  in  a 
postscript. 

"  Hurrah ! "  shouted  he,  as  he  finished  reading,  and, 
turning  to  the  young  lady  with  "What  a  jewel  of  a  mother 
you  have  got,  Ellen,"  folded  her  in  his  arms  and  kissed  her 
before  the  amused  spectators. 

"Hold  on,  young  gentleman,"  called  out  Louisa,  "  if  you 
are  going  to  be  my  brother-in-law,  you  must  behave  your- 
self better  in  company  than  that." 

"Ah,  I  forgot ;  I  owe  you  a  brotherly  kiss,  don't  I? — and 
will  pay  the  debt  forthwith." 

"  Kun,"  said  Elsie,  making  way  for  her,  but  Warren  was 
too  quick,  and,  catching  her  before  she  could  escape  from 
the  veranda,  after  a  vigorous  resistance,  succeeded  in  im- 
printing his  lips  upon  her  cheek,  receiving  in  return  a  by 
no  means  gentle  box  on  the  ears,  greatly  to  Mr.  Thomp- 
son's delight,  who  clapped  his  hands  loudly. 


308  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

"  Well  done,  Lou !  Bravo,  Seaman  !  Well,  well,  you 
can't  say,  Louisa,  but  what  you  have  been  kissed  once, 
any  how,  against  your  will." 

For  a  time,  all  vexations  were  forgotten  or  ignored  in  the 
excitement  of  preparing  for  the  wedding,  which  was  ar- 
ranged to  take  place  in  a  week  after  receiving  Mrs.  Thomp- 
son's letter,  as  the  father  and  sister  of  the  bride  were 
obliged  to  set  sail  the  week  following. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

BURYING  THE   HATCHET. 

A  GLORIOUS  morning  !  Yes,  no  other  adjective  would  just 
express  the  elastic,  exhilarating  air,  the  exquisite  poise  and 
balance,  the  perfect  adjustment  between  earth  and  sky  and 
atmosphere  and  the  sensitive  beings  dwelling  in  it.  It  was 
the  resting-time  of  the  year,  neither  summer  nor  fall,  but 
both  harmoniously  blended  together,  and  giving  tempera- 
mental conditions  which  made  it  a  joy  simply  to  be — to  live 
and  breathe — one  of  earth's  children. 

It  was  little  past  six  o'clock,  for  as  yet  the  sun  had  not 
more  than  traversed  a  brief  hour's  path  toward  the  zenith. 

A  horseman  at  the  cross-roads,  so  often  mentioned  be- 
tween the  Hermitage  and  the  big  ravine,  rode  nervously 
up  and  down,  pausing  now  and  then  to  scan  the  landscape, 
especially  in  one  direction,  as  if  anxiously  expecting  some 
one. 

"  Can  it  be  possible  she  did  not  receive  my  note,"  he 
muttered  to  himself  ;  "  but  no — Hiram  never  makes  a  mis- 
take. I  must  be  more  patient." 

"  After  a  few  moments,  his  anxious  eye  detected  a  small 
cloud  of  dust  in  the  distance  ;  and  the  field-glass  carried 
at  his  saddle-bow  showed  a  horse  and  rider,  rapidly  ap- 
proachiug. 

'•It  is  she.  Only  one  lady  in  the  country  sits  a  horse 
like  that,  and  only  one  animal  has  that  lengthy  stride," 
he  said  to  himself,  in  a  tone  of  exultation,  which  showed 
that  his  previous  impatience  had  flown. 

"I  am  very  late,  but  never  mind.     If  it  has  not  wearied 


310  THE  RUSSIAN    REFUGEE. 

you  too  much,  we  still  can  have  an  hour,  and  the  air  is  like 
nectar  this  morning." 

"I  must  confess  to  a  little  anxiety  and  impatience,"  said 
the  cavalier,  as  he  turned  his  horse's  head  to  ride  beside 
her ;  "  but,  believe  me,  it  was  on  your  account.  I  feared 
something  had  happened  to  you,  and  cannot  forget  the 
little  trick  this  wilful  Gyp  once  played  you  ; "  and  Adolph 
glanced  admiringly  at  the  sleek  head  of  Elsie's  pet,  who 
erected  his  ears,  as  quite  appreciating  the  remark. 

"  I  must  really  thank  you  for  your  kind  concern  for  my 
safety  ;  but  I  have  no  fear  of  my  pony,  when  I  am  riding 
him.  Any  freaks  he  may  have  he  reserves  for  harness." 

"  Still,"  he  persisted  earnestly,  "  you  must  allow  me  to 
feel  anxious  for  your  safety  ;  for  you  have  come  into  my 
life,  and  given  it  a  larger  value,  and  to  my  world  you  have 
given  a  different  atmosphere  and  meaning.  I  now  have  a 
future  and  a  promise — a  look  forward — and  I  owe  it  to  you  ; 
and  I  feel  that  I  must  thank  you  for  it  this  morning." 

"  I  should,  indeed,  be  rejoiced  to  think  that  I  had  helped 
you,  or  could  help  one  to  whom  I  owe  so  much  ;  but  I  can- 
not realize  it  at  all.  Indeed,  I  cannot.  You  are  so  strong 
and  brave  and  self-reliant,  I  could  as  soon  imagine  this 
light  breeze  might  affect  that  sturdy  oak  there  as  that  one 
so  frail  and  weak  as  I  could  aid  or  influence  you  in  any 
way." 

Elsie  showed  she  was  in  earnest  by  her  heightened  color  ; 
but  her  companion  at  once  returned  eagerly  :  "  Yes,  yes  ; 
and  that  oak-tree  vibrates  in  every  branch  and  leaf  and 
root  to  this  little  breeze.  It  thrills  it  in  every  fibre,  and 
helps  to  form  and  change  its  life." 

"  You  argue  too  well  for  me,  and  so  I  must  yield  ;  and, 
indeed,  the  bare  possibility  of  being  able,  in  the  humblest 
way,  to  influence  a  noble  life  to  higher  effort  is  too  pleasant 
to  be  entirely  put  away.  But  now,  I  must  tell  you  why  I 
asked  you  especially  to  meet  me  this  morning." 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  311 

Her  companion  bowed  gracefully,  saying:  "Remember 
you  enrich  my  life  by  asking  my  services." 

"Many  thanks  :  but  before  I  proceed,  let  us  gallop  down 
this  beautiful  stretch  of  road  ; "  and  away  they  went,  at  a 
rattling  pace,  for  about  a  mile. 

Elsie  then  resumed  :  "  The  fact  is,  Mr.  Adolph,  father  has 
been  threatened  with  a  lawsuit  to  rob  him  of  his  estate  ;  and 
the  circumstances  under  which  the  claim  is  made  are  very 
peculiar.  It  concerns  a  countryman  of  yours  ;  and  I  thought 
that  perhaps  you  or  your  father  might  be  able  to  tell  me 
something  about  him  that  might  help  to  throw  light  upon 
what  on  the  face  looks  like  a  very  wicked  transaction." 

She  spoke  hesitatingly,  and  so  different  from  her  usual 
frank  way  that  Adolph  perceived  that  the  matter  was  a 
serious  one  to  her,  and  also  that  she  felt  a  little  diffidence 
in  approaching  him  about  it. 

"Trust  me,  Miss  Hastings,  the  matter  is  safe  with  me. 
Speak  freely.  If  it  is  a  countryman  of  mine  who  is  trying 
to  do  this  great  wrong,  father  has  much  influence,  and  can 
undoubtedly  help,  or  at  least  wisely  advise." 

Thus  encouraged,  she  regained  her  usual  self-poise  and 
manner,  and  related  the  matter  in  detail.  When  she  men- 
tioned the  name  of  the  old  Eussian  who  was  charged  with 
having  given  the  second  deed  fraudulently,  an  angry  light 
leaped  from  the  eyes  of  the  listener,  and  he  clutched  his 
right  hand  on  the  whip-handle  as  if  he  would  crush  it  to 
fragments.  And  as  she  concluded,  he  broke  out  ab- 
ruptly : 

"It  is  an  infamous  lie — a  most  unholy  lie!  Nicholas 
Kuprianoff  was  wholly  incapable  of  such  a  thing.  He  was 
the  very  soul  of  honor." 

"Thank  you  for  saying  so,"  said  the  young  lady,  grate- 
fully. "I  always  felt  it,  and  told  father  so.  That  good  old 
man,  of  whom  I  have  often  heard,  was,  I  am  persuaded,  ut- 
terly incapable  of  such  an  act.  But  he  has  been  dead  so 


312  THE   EUSSIAN   EEFUGEE. 

long  that  this  knowledge  will,  I  am  afraid,  avail  us  little 
now." 

The  Eussian  smiled,  as  he  answered  cheerfully  :  "  Oh,  no 
doubt  father  remembers  him  well ;  for  the  Patriarch  "—and 
he  regarded  her  humorously,  showing  that  he  was  aware  of 
the  name  she  had  given  the  old  gentleman  of  the  Cave — "  is 
very  old  himself,  as  you  know." 

"Father  says  Nicholas  must  have  been  about  seventy 
when  he  deeded  away  the  estate,  from  all  he  can  gather, 
and  that  was  fifty  years  or  so  ago ;  so  none  but  quite  old 
people  would  remember  him,  because  they  must  have  been 
grown  up  at  that  time  to  be  available  as  witnesses,  I  should 
think.  But  then,  I  know  nothing  about  law." 

"  Can  you  not  come  and  talk  with  the  '  Exile '  " — and  here 
again  he  smiled — "for  what  you  say  may  be  quite  true,  and 
I  am  no  more  conversant  with  the  technicalities  of  law  than 
you  are  ?  I  know  he  can  be  of  valuable  help  in  this 
emergency,  and  advise  what  is  best  to  be  done.  Please  to 
name  a  day,  and  I  will  meet  you  anywhere,  and  conduct 
you." 

"But  I  thought  I  was  free  now  to  come  and  go  as  I 
pleased,"  she  replied,  laughingly ;  "  but  I  am  afraid  I  shall 
require  your  services,  after  all,  for  I  never  could  find  my 
way." 

"You  could  find  the  cave-entrance,  but  the  subterranean 
passage  is  tortuous  and  difficult  to  a  stranger ;  and  so  I  trust 
you  will  gratify  me  by still  considering  me  your  con- 
ductor, ever  at  command." 

So  Elsie  promised  to  communicate  with  him  as  before, 
and  inform  him  when  she  would  be  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
cave-mouth. 

"I  think  I  had  best  proceed  alone  to  that  point,"  she  said, 
"  because  I  have  reason  to  believe  that  I  am  being  watched 
by  some  one  ;  and  it  is  easier  for  one  person  to  escape  ob- 
servation than  two  :  for,"  she  added  earnestly,  "  I  would  not 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  313 

for  worlds  be  the  means  of  bringing  danger  to  any  of  your 
interesting  family." 

"  We  trust  you  as  we  trust  the  Holy  One,"  said  the  gen- 
tleman, reverently  bowing  as  he  spoke.  "  The  soul  is  worthy 
of  its  tenement.  Both  speak  one  language — the  language 
of  truth  and  loyalty  to  the  highest  ideals." 

'•'I  am  afraid,  Mr.  Adolph,  you  judge  me  too  favorably. 
You  have  not  seen  the  other  side  of  my  character.  I  am 
fearful  you  would  think  my  ideals  were  not  so  very  high,  if 
you  saw  me  in  one  of  my  impatient  fits  sometimes." 

"An  impatience,  no  doubt,  justifiable  in  its  way.  One 
cannot  pretend  to  be  satisfied  with  everything  in  this  world. 
Some  things  are  wrong,  and  out  of  joint ;  and  why  should 
not  one  say  so — not  petulantly,  but  simply  ?  " 

She  stroked  Gyp's  glossy  neck  for  a  minute  or  two  with- 
out speaking,  as  if  half  afraid  to  commit  herself,  and  then 
said,  looking  at  him  almost  doubtfully  :  "Yes,  but  do  you 
not  think  that  a  wider  experience,  a  deeper  knowledge  of 
life  precludes  the  possibility  of  impatience  in  any  form  ? 
Are  not  fretfulness  and  discontent  really  a  sign  of  undevel- 
opment  ?  "  His  look  and  mien  expressed  such  full  assent, 
that  she  continued  :  "  I  have  thought  much  since  of  what 
your  father  said  regarding  the  repeated  births  into  this 
world,  and  it  seems  to  solve  many  a  problem  for  me.  I  am 
afraid  I  must  be  born  many  times  yet  on  this  planet  before 
I  reach  the  intellectual  and  spiritual  condition  fit  for  a 
higher  life.  Do  you  really  think  that  ordinary  or  inferior 
people  can  be  thus  developed  to  the  lofty  heights  reached 
by  the  master  souls  of  the  race  ?  " 

He  listened  eagerly,  as  if  drinking  in  her  words,  and  at 
once  spoke  as  she  looked  at  him  inquiringly :  "I  think  that 
is  possible  ;  and  in  no  other  way  can  one  truly  have  a  chance 
for  wide  development — that  is,  such  development  as  this 
world  can  give.  And  surely  every  child  born  here  is  en- 
titled to  the  best  training  and  growth  which  his  mother 


314:  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

earth  can  give  and  of  which  he  is  susceptible.  Surely,  in 
the  economy  of  God,  this  earth  must  have  a  special  place  in 
the  education  of  each  individual  of  the  human  family,  and 
perhaps  no  other  world  can  exactly  take  the  place  of  ours 
in  giving  us  this  training  and  development,  and  so  we  must 
return  here  by  successive  incarnations  until  we  have  reached 
this  point  of  mental  and  spiritual  growth." 

"  Do  many  of  your — I  mean  of  the  Order,  believe  as  you 
and  your  father  on  this  point  ?  " 

"  Not  many,  but  yet  it  is  steadily  gaining  ground.  En- 
tering the  order  is  the  first  step  in  throwing  aside  the 
puerile  beliefs  and  superstitions  of  the  orthodox  Russian 
Church,  and  when  once  men  and  women  begin  to  think  on 
these  matters,  there  is  hope  for  them.  The  trouble  is,  re- 
ligious beliefs  among  all  peoples  are  handed  down  from 
generation  to  generation — much  as  property  is,  and  the 
majority  never  think  of  looking  into  and  examining  the 
groundwork  of  the  creeds  and  confessions  they  recite  so 
glibly." 

They  had  been  so  interested  in  their  conversation  that 
they  had  allowed  their  steeds  to  walk  as  they  listed,  and 
now  found  themselves  at  the  "  Big  Ravine,"  and  a  glance 
at  her  watch  showed  Elsie  that  unless  she  rode  with  un- 
tisual  speed  she  would  be  very  late  for  breakfast,  and  so 
the  horses  were  turned  homeward  at  a  galloping  pace. 

"  Why,  Elsie,  my  child,  where  have  you  been  ?  We  have 
been  waiting  breakfast  these  twenty  minutes,  and  here  is  a 
letter  from  Australia  in  answer  to  the  one  I  wrote  regarding 
Esmond,"  exclaimed  Mr.  Hastings,  as  the  young  lady,  flushed 
with  her  unusually  rapid  ride,  leaped  from  the  saddle  and 
ran  up  the  front  steps. 

"  Take  care  of  him,  John,  he  is  very  warm,"  she  called 
out,  as  the  man  led  away  Gyp.  "  Oh,  father,  I  have  had 
such  a  delightful  ride,  but  it  is  too  bad  about  breakfast. 
I  will  be  ready  in  five  minutes  or  less,"  and  she  ran  to  her 


THE   RUSSIAN    REFUGEE.  315 

room,  but  returning  in  an  instant  called  back:  "But, 
father,  is  the  news  good,  from  Australia  ?  " 

"Yes,  yes.  Quite  good.  Now  get  ready  for  breakfast 
and  don't  keep  our  guests  waiting  any  longer,"  and  again 
she  vanished. 

"Nice  doings,  indeed,  Miss  Madcap,  riding  about  the 
country  in  this  wild  fashion.  Well,  I  declare  !  Are  all 
your  countrywomen  as  independent  in  these  matters  as 
you  are,  Miss  Elsie  ?  "  asked  the  Englishman  as  they  as- 
sembled at  breakfast  a  few  moments  later. 

"I  must  ask  father  to  answer  that  question,"  she  laugh- 
ingly replied.  "  I  think  he  has  always  given  me  a  pretty 
free  rein." 

"  My  daughter  has  generally  followed  her  own  bent  in 
such  matters,"  Mr.  Hastings  said,  smiling.  "  She  has 
never  worshipped  at  Madam  Grundy's  shrine,  and  has 
been  governed  largely  by  her  own  instincts.  But  she  is 
an  exception,  I  fear,  rather  than  the  rule,  in  compar- 
ing her  habits  and  life  with  those  of  her  young  country- 
women." 

"  So  I  should  suppose,  judging  by  those  I  have  seen  so 
far.  A  good,  strong  physique  is,  I  rather  imagine,  much 
less  common  here  among  young  ladies  than  with  us." 

"One  thing  I  am  persuaded  of,"  said  the  host ;  "  that  the 
solution  of  the  problem  of  the  equality  of  the  sexes,  which 
is  exciting  so  much  attention  nowadays,  lies  in  this  matter 
of  physical  vigor.  If  woman  can  bring  herself  to  equal 
health  with  her  competitor  man — not  necessarily  equal 
strength,  but  that  condition  of  bodily  endurance  which  will 
enable  her  to  meet  the  various  demands  made  upon  her  in 
the  struggle  of  life,  without  loss  of  health  and  life-long  in- 
validism,  as  we  see  so  often  now  after  a  few  years  of  effort 
— then,  and  not  until  then,  can  she  successfully  compete 
with  him,  hand  to  hand  and  shoulder  to  shoulder." 

"  Half  the  world  will  probably  agree  with  you,  uncle," 


316  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

said  Seaman  ;  "  but  I  doubt  very  much  if  the  other  and  most 
interested  half  will." 

"  Not  most  interested,  Warren ;  for  we  are  just  as  much 
interested  in  this  matter  as  they  are,  for  the  hope  of  the 
race  lies  with  the  women.  But  if  they  wish  to  carry  suc- 
cessfully the  same  burdens  that  we  do,  they  must  lay  aside 
the  self-imposed  other  burdens  which  at  present  are  so 
largely  sapping  their  vitality.  Look  at  the  facts.  Boys 
are  encouraged  to  exercise  and  develop  their  bodily  powers 
in  every  way.  They  are  dressed  in  loose-fitting  garbs  which 
do  not  restrain  the  full  use  of  lungs  or  limbs,  but  leave 
them  free  and  untrammelled  to  run,  jump,  or  otherwise  ex- 
ercise any  or  all  of  the  five  hundred  or  so  muscles  of  their 
wonderfully  constructed  bodies.  Then  look  at  the  poor  girls 
— the  girdles,  and  the  cinctures,  and  the  corsets,  and  the 
high-heeled  shoes  with  narrow  soles,  and  the  other  abomin- 
able contrivances  for  checkmating  nature  which  go  to  make 
up  the  girl's  dress  of  the  period.  And, '  Kemember,  you  are 
a  young  lady,'  is  perpetually  being  sounded  in  her  ears, 
until  the  desired  effect  is  produced.  Crippled  feet,  mincing 
slow  step,  feeble  muscles,  pale  complexion  and  a  languid 
air — the  whole  enshrined  in  an  atmosphere  of  '  perfect  pro- 
priety.' " 

"  Oh,  Mr.  Hastings,  what  a  picture  of  our  poor  sex,"  ex- 
claimed Louisa,  "  and  I  must  protest  that  it  is  too  highly 
colored — a  libeL  Why,  I  never  wore  a  high-heeled  shoe  in 
my  life,  nor  sister  either — did  we,  Ellen  ?  " 

The  bride-elect  blushed  at  this  direct  appeal,  and  hesi- 
tated as  she  answered  :  "  Well,  only  at  parties  sometimes, 
and  on  Sundays,  I  think." 

"  Why,  you  little  simpleton,  do  you  call  those  shoes  high, 
not  more  than  an  inch  and  a  half,  I  am  sure  ?  " 

The  confession  and  resulting  remark  proved  too  much 
for  the  risibilities  of  the  others,  and  a  general  laugh  ensued. 

"  Trust  Ellen  for  bringing  the  ghosts  out  of  the  closets," 


THE   RUSSIAN    REFUGEE.  317 

said  the  Englishman,  heartily  ;  "only  a  question  of  opinion, 
Mr.  Hastings,  you  see." 

"I  am  ready  to  own,  Miss  Louisa,  that  young  English- 
women have  a  great  advantage  over  our  girls  in  the  matter 
of  dress  and  exercise,  and,  perhaps,  dieting,  but  even  they 
are  placed  at  a  great  disadvantage  beside  their  brothers  in 
these  matters.  "What  I  do  claim  is,  that  the  average  woman, 
when  the  responsibilities  of  life  begin  to  press  upon  her, 
finds  herself  shorn  of  one-half  of  her  natural  physical  pow- 
er by  the  unnatural  course  of  training  she  has  been  put 
through,  and  so  must  draw  xipon  her  reserve  nervous  force 
if  she  attempts  to  accomplish  as  much  work,  of  almost  any 
kind,  as  her  male  competitors.  And,  remember,  these 
habits  of  girlhood  are  a  second  nature  and  will  not  be  ma- 
terially changed  in  womanhood,  but  rather  emphasized,  for 
now  she  will  largely  give  up  proper  exercise  in  consequence 
of  the  exhaustion  she  will  experience,  and  so  a  gradual  giv- 
ing way  of  the  nervous  system,  and  a  premature  decay,  is 
only  a  matter  of  time.  This,  to  my  mind,  is  the  woman 
question  !  Woman  must  change  her  physical  habits  as  re- 
gards dress,  exercise,  etc.,  and  then  there  is  no  reason  why 
she  cannot  compete  successfully  with  her  brothers  in  any 
department,  almost,  of  legitimate  labor.  Let  her  carry  no 
burdens  which  nature  does  not  impose,  and  she  may  even 
outstrip  man  in  the  race,  hindered  and  hampered  as  he  is 
by  some  vile  habits  which  he  has  acquired  and  which  are 
continually  thwarting  his  best  efforts,  such  as  the  use  of 
tobacco  and  alcohol." 

"  Well,  I  am  glad  that  the  lords  of  creation  have  some 
failings  too,  just  to  equalize  matters  a  little.  I  think  a  cer- 
tain gentleman  at  the  table  may  apply  those  last  remarks 
to  himself,"  said  Louisa,  glancing  mischievously  at  her 
father,  who  answered,  good-humoredly  : 

"  I  understand  you,  Miss  Saucebox.  I  must  plead  guilty, 
Mr.  Hastings,  to  a  fondness  for  a  good  glass  of  punch,  and 


318  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

a  pipe  after  dinner  ;  and  these  girls  will  give  me  a  sly 
touch  about  it  now  and  then.  These  things  are  so  common 
with  us  that  we  rarely  give  them  a  thought.  Over  here, 
however,  they  seem  to  occupy  a  good  deal  of  attention." 

"  But  do  you  not  think,  Mr.  Thompson,  that  the  preva- 
lence of  the  drinking  habit  and  the  carelessness  exhibited 
with  reference  to  it  on  the  part  of  those  who  know  bet- 
ter is  a  fruitful  cause  of  the  abject  poverty,  and  crime,  and 
misery,  which  abound  in  the  crowded  centres  of  Great 
Britain  ?  "  asked  the  host. 

"  Very  possible  ;  but  constant  use  dims  our  vision  to  such 
matters,  I  suppose.  I  frankly  concede,  though,  that  your 
country  leads  the  van  on  the  temperance  question.  But  I 
am  afraid  I  am  too  old  to  change  my  habits  now  ;  yet  I  think 
if  I  was  beginning  life  again  I  would  not  touch  alcohol  or 
tobacco." 

Ellen  looked  up  with  a  smile  of  sympathy  at  her  father 
as  he  finished  speaking,  for  she  knew  how  costly  these 
habits  had  been  to  him  in  one  way  and  another.  The 
memory  of  a  loved  brother,  saved  as  by  fire,  from  a  drunk- 
ard's grave,  to  whose  brink  he  had  been  dragged  by  these 
twin  agents  of  physical  ruin,  rose  up  before  her  and  told 
her  what  lay  behind  and  prompted  her  father's  words. 
Seaman  knew  of  the  circumstance,  although  he  had  not 
met  the  young  man,  who  was  at  present  in  Jamaica,  and 
instinctively  surmised  what  was  in  her  mind  ;  and,  divining 
that  the  subject  must  be  a  painful  one  for  their  guests,  he 
hastened  to  change  it  by  asking  his  uncle  what  had  become 
of  his  cousin  Esmond  and  how  it  was  that  he  had  not  been 
to  see  them  lately. 

"I  can  hardly  explain  that,  for  he  has  no  special  business 
that  I  know  of,  and  yet  he  is  always  in  a  hurry  and  seems 
to  have  a  great  deal  to  do,"  said  his  uncle,  with  just  a  shade 
of  annoyance  in  his  face,  when  the  name  of  the  erratic 
nephew  was  mentioned.  "  However,  Elsie,"  he  continued, 


THE    KUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  319 

after  a  moment's  pause,  "  suppose  you  ask  Harry  to  dinner 
to-morrow  to  meet  our  friends  and  his  cousin  Warren." 

"  I  think  that  will  be  so  nice,  father,  and  I  will  write  to 
him  to-day,"  she  answered,  in  a  gratified  way,  as  this  con- 
cession on  her  father's  part  convinced  her  that  the  news 
from  Australia  had  been  favorable  to  the  young  man. 

The  letter  was  not  from  the  gentleman  written  to,  for  it 
seemed  he  was  away  from  home  on  a  two  months'  trip,  but 
from  his  private  secretary,  who  had  been  instructed  to  open 
all  correspondence,  and  attend  to  it  as  required.  The 
writer,  Mr.  Merton,  said  he  could  answer  the  queries  re- 
garding Mr.  Esmond  as  well  as  his  employer,  as  the  young 
gentleman  was  well  known  to  the  firm. 

We  consider  him  a  very  bright,  capable,  conscientious  young  man, 
and  one  who  is  popular  in  society.  He  has,  indeed,  remarkable 
winning  ways,  and  his  absence  is  regretted  by  many  here.  He  has 
great  self-reliance,  and  will  go  alone  on  a  smaller  hand  than  any 
other  man  I  ever  saw.  I  can  truly  say  that  I  never  heard  a  doubt 
expressed  as  to  his  moral  standing. 

Any  further  information  will  be  cheerfully  given  at  any  time  by 
Mr.  Wheat  or  myself. 

Very  respectfully  yours, 

JAS.  H.  MERTON. 

To  say  that  the  uncle  was  quite  satisfied  with  regard  to 
the  nephew's  past  life  would  not  be  true,  but  he  felt  that  it 
would  be  at  least  ungracious  to  show  suspicion  any  longer, 
especially  as  he  had  by  implication  promised  to  be  governed 
by  these  letters  ;  and  so  he  requested  Elsie  to  invite  Es- 
mond to  dine  with  them,  which  he  knew  would  be  consid- 
ered by  that  gentleman  as  a  sign  that  the  hatchet  was 
buried,  for  the  present  at  any  rate. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 
WEDDING  BELLS. 

"  COUSIN  HAKKY,  let  me  introduce  you  to  another  cousin, 
of  whom  you  have  often  heard  me  speak — Dr.  Seaman." 

"  Mr.  Harry  Esmond  !  And  right  glad  I  am  to  meet  you 
and  know  you,"  said  the  doctor,  coming  forward  and  frankly 
holding  out  his  hand. 

Esmond  responded,  but  with  much  less  warmth,  which 
surprised  Elsie,  as  she  knew  the  young  Australian  was 
usually  quite  effusive  in  his  style  of  approaching  others. 
What  was  the  matter  with  these  newly  acquainted  relations, 
for  no  sooner  did  their  hands  touch,  and  they  looked  each 
other  full  in  the  face  than  there  seemed  to  be  a  mutual 
recoil,  or  rather  the  recoil  was  on  the  part  of  the  physician 
largely,  for  Esmond  was  much  the  more  self-possessed  of 
the  pair  ?  The  face  of  the  former  expressed  unbounded 
astonishment,  while  observable  on  the  latter's  countenance 
was  simple  dislike  thinly  veiled  with  that  covert  sneer 
which  Elsie  had  frequently  seen  there  before  when  some- 
thing annoyed  him  excessively. 

"  Why,  Cousin  Seaman,  what  is  the  matter  ?  "  exclaimed 
he,  recovering  his  usual  manner  at  once.  "If  you  were 
not  a  medicine  man  yourself,  I  should  say  you  needed  the 
help  of  one,  to  judge  by  your  pale  cheeks.  Cheer  up,  man. 
You  evidently  saw  a  ghost  of  the  past  in  my  face,  and  were 
scared.  Not  the  first  case  of  mistaken  identity  you've  had, 
I'll  bet  something." 

This  was  said  in  such  a  tone  of  pleasant  banter  that 
Warren  at  once  by  an  effort  shook  off  the  unpleasant  feel- 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  321 

ing  excited  by  his  new  cousin's  face,  and  answered  cheer- 
fully :  "  "Well,  you  did  remind  me  of  somebody,  I  confess. 
These  likenesses  are  remarkable,  though  I  hope  you  will 
excuse  my  yielding  so  foolishly  to  a  sudden  impression." 
So  saying,  the  young  man  shook  hands  heartily,  to  Elsie's 
great  satisfaction,  though  she  could  not  altogether  free  her 
mind  from  an  unpleasant  feeling,  when  she  remembered 
Esmond's  conduct  of  a  few  days  before  on  first  seeing 
Warren  at  a  distance. 

"Had  these  two  met  before  under  unpleasant  circum- 
stances ?  "  would  keep  coming  into  her  mind  in  a  question- 
ing way  all  through  the  dinner  hour. 

Esmond  soon  made  himself  at  home  with  the  English 
guests,  and  led  Louisa  Thompson  in  to  dinner,  and  judg- 
ing from  the  continual  banter  and  raillery  carried  on  be- 
tween them  they  seemed  to  be  kindred  spirits  ;  in  fact,  it 
was  easy  to  see  that  the  cousin  from  the  Antipodes  was  in 
excellent  humor,  and  acted  as  a  man  who  had  just  tri- 
umphed over  some  serious  obstacle.  Only  once  did  he 
seem  to  lose  his  gay,  easy  manner,  Seaman  noticed ;  and 
somehow  the  physician  found  himself  involuntarily  watch- 
ing him,  and  glancing  in  the  direction  from  which  the 
depressing  influence  had  seemingly  come,  saw  the  little 
black  eyes  of  the  Frenchwoman  gazing  at  the  Australian 
in  a  peculiarly  sinister  manner.  So  vindictive  was  the  look 
of  the  housekeeper,  and  so  mocking  was  the  half  smile  on 
her  face  as  she  furtively  watched  him,  while  apparently 
engaged  in  directing  the  servants,  that  Seaman  was  really 
startled,  and  something  of  the  old  feeling  returned  which 
he  had  experienced  on  meeting  Esmond  at  first. 

"  Can  it  be  that  this  bold  cousin  of  mine  has  a  past  which 
calls  for  vengeance,  for  assuredly,  that  is  Nemesis  before 
me  ?  "  he  said  to  himself,  and  would  like  to  have  said  so  to 
Ellen,  could  he  have  done  it  without  attracting  the  atten- 
tion of  the  others. 
21 


322  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

Seaman  had  arrived  at  that  point  in  his  love  experience 
in  which  no  thought  seemed  worth  having,  or  thing  either, 
unless  he  could  share  it  with  her  who,  indeed,  he  now  felt 
was  his  other  self.  But  although  this  impulse  to  draw  his 
companion's  attention  to  the  housekeeper  was  almost  uncon- 
trollable, yet  a  moment  later  he  rejoiced  he  had  not  done 
so,  for  he  suddenly  remembered  what  had  entirely  escaped 
him  before,  that  this  was  his  cousin,  one  of  his  own  blood, 
over  whom  it  was  his  duty  to  throw  the  segis  of  kinship, 
even  if  he  were  deserving  of  the  repugnance  which  he  felt 
toward  him. 

Whatever  Dr.  Seaman  thought  of  his  new  cousin,  it  was 
soon  evident  that  the  young  man  had  contrived  to  win  a 
high  place  for  himself  in  the  estimation  of  the  young  ladies, 
for  Louisa  whispered  to  Elsie,  as  they  left  the  dining-room, 
"What  a  charming  man  your  cousin  is,  Elsie  ;  he  seems  to 
have  been  everywhere,  and  know  almost  everything."  And 
Ellen,  even,  said  that  she  thought  he  was  "  a  very  nice, 
gentlemanly  fellow,  with  no  nonsense  about  him." 

"  A  letter  for  Mr.  Esmond,  miss,"  said  the  girl,  entering 
the  drawing-room  after  dinner,  as  the  different  members  of 
the  party  were  variously  amusing  themselves.  "  Mr.  Rich- 
ards, of  the  Sinclair  House,  sent  it  up,  and  Mrs.  Wagram 
told  me  to  bring  it  up  at  once,  as  it  might  be  of  impor- 
tance." 

Esmond's  quick  ear  heard  his  name  mentioned,  and  ex- 
cusing himself  hastily  to  the  three  young  ladies  whom  he 
had  been  entertaining  on  the  veranda  with  a  graphic  account 
of  some  humorous  adventure,  leaped  through  the  large  open 
window  and  almost  snatched  the  epistle  from  the  girl. 

"Who  do  you  say  sent  this  letter  to  me?"  he  asked, 
after  nervously  glancing  at  the  printed  name  on  the  corner 
of  the  envelope. 

"  Mrs.  Wagram,  sir,"  replied  the  servant,  timidly,  some- 
what abashed  by  his  abrupt  manner. 


THE  RUSSIAN   EEFUGEE.  323 

"  Dam  "  was  the  only  syllable  of  a  word,  the  balance  of 
•which,  body  and  tail,  seemed  to  be  swallowed  in  an  internal 
volcano  of  smothered  indignation,  which  caught  the  ears 
of  Dr.  Seaman  on  his  way  through  the  hall  to  reach  the 
party  outside.  The  gentleman  paused  a  moment  in  doubt 
and  surprise,  as  the  girl  who  had  brought  the  note  flitted 
past  him  on  her  return,  and  then  the  words,  "  so  that  she- 
devil  saw  it,  did  she  ?  "  uttered  in  a  low  tone  of  concentrated 
bitterness,  reached  him  through  the  open  door.  The  phy- 
sician had  purposed  entering  the  drawing-room,  and  join- 
ing the  group  outside  by  passing  through  the  window  by 
which  Esmond  had  entered.  Now,  however,  he  changed 
his  mind,  and  hastily  and  noiselessly  retracing  his  steps  he 
passed  out  by  the  front  door,  and  reached  the  veranda  that 
way. 

"  Did  you  find  the  book,  Dr.  Seaman  ?  "  said  Louisa. 

"  Yes,  and  I  see  you  are  right ;  I  quoted  the  wrong  au- 
thor." 

"  Bear  witness  all,  that  this  learned  lord  of  creation, 
M.D.,  etc.,  has  confessed  for  once  that  he  is  in  the  wrong  ;" 
and  then  she  added,  "  I  must  tell  Mr.  Esmond." 

"I  shall  be  delighted  to  hear,"  said  that  young  gentle- 
man, coming  through  the  window  of  the  parlor  at  that  mo- 
ment, rejoining  the  party  with  a  face  in  which  smiles 
seemed  to  be  struggling  to  drive  away  the  scattered  rem- 
nants of  frowns.  Seaman  regarded  him  with  a  curiosity 
not  unmixed  with  admiration :  for  his  trained  eye  saw  the 
traces  yet  lingering  of  a  fierce  internal  conflict. 

"What  tremendous  self-control  that  fellow  has,"  he 
thought.  "  He  is  full  of  passion,  and  naturally  as  impetu- 
ous and  uncertain  as  gunpowder  ;  but  he  has  a  wonderful 
mastery  of  himself.  He  has  studied  in  some  strange  school." 

The  girl  who  had  brought  the  note  to  the  young  man 
returned  at  once  to  the  housekeeper's  room,  where  she 
found  that  lady  nervously  awaiting  her. 


324  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

"  Well,  what  did  mi  lord  say  ?  "  she  queried,  her  black 
orbs  snapping  fiercely. 

"I  gave  him  your  message,  madam,  and  he  asked,  '  Who 
did  you  say  sent  it  ? '  and  he  just  scared  me,  he  did,  he 
looked  so  fierce-like.  And  then  I  told  him  again,  and  as  I 
left  the  room  I  heard  him  say  something  bad." 

"Let  me  hear  what  he  said— I  insist,  Maggie ;"  and  the 
"foreign  lady,"  as  the  servants  called  her,  looked  so  per- 
emptory that  Maggie  yielded  at  once,  and  almost  before  she 
knew  it  blurted  out : 

"He  said  'dam,'  madam — I  mean,  he  just  said  'dam.'" 

The  housekeeper  laughed  heartily,  as  she  walked  up  and 
down  the  room,  working  her  hands  nervously. 

"  That  was  all  ?  Well,  you  can  go.  Don't  mention  this  to 
anybody — mind,  nobody — nothing  about  it,  and  I  won't 
forget  you,  Maggie.  Ma  bonte,  won't  le  bete  look  one  of 
these  days.  I'll  teach  him  one  lesson.  Ha,  ha,  madam  no 
account  ?  Ma  foi,"  she  said,  as  Maggie  left  the  room,  after 
promising  to  be  as  silent  as  the  grave. 

The  wedding  morning !  and  everybody  and  everything 
astir  bright  and  early.  The  ceremony  was  to  take  place  at 
the  Hermitage,  and  by  the  Episcopal  minister  of  Melville. 
This  was  in  accordance  with  the  wishes  of  the  bride,  as  the 
Thompson  family  were  members  of  the  "  Establishment," 
although  the  Englishman  privately  admitted  to  his  host 
that  personally  he  did  not  accept  the  doctrines  of  the 
Church.  "  But,"  he  remarked  smiling,  "it  is  the  church  of 
the  crown  ;  and,  as  a  loyal  subject,  of  course  I  must  be  a 
member  of  the  church  of  the  crown,  and  then,  too,  it  is  the 
most  respectable,  you  know,  Mr.  Hastings." 

"But,  surely,  you  cannot  find  much  satisfaction  in  be- 
longing to  a  church  or  religious  organization  which  you 
do  not  heartily  believe  in,"  said  the  other,  in  astonish- 
ment. 

"  Yes,  yes,  I  can.     Why,  my  dear  sir,  the  majority  of 


THE  RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  325 

thinking  Englishmen  to-day  simply  regard  the  national 
church  institution  as  a  very  respectable  antiquity — much 
as  we  look  at  Westminster  Abbey,  or  the  famous  cathedrals 
of  our  country.  Spiritually,  it  is  almost  defunct ;  but,  as 
a  venerable  and  interesting  relic  of  the  past,  it  is  a  very- 
fine  thing,  and  we  would  grieve  heartily  if  anything  should 
happen  to  it."  And  the  jovial  Briton  twirled  his  watch- 
kej's  and  seals,  as  he  walked  up  and  down  the  room,  with 
such  a  humorous,  philosophical  air  that  his  companion  could 
not  help  smiling,  as  he  replied  : 

"  Then  I  am  to  understand  that  the  average  Englishman 
of  the  higher  and  middle  classes  to-day  cares  little  or  noth- 
ing about  the  Church,  as  an  aid  to  worship  or  spiritual  de- 
velopment, and  would  vote  for  its  continuance  just  as  a 
part  of  that  vast  system  of  machinery  by  which  the  British 
empire  is  governed  ?  " 

"Precisely,"  returned  the  other.  " Call  it  a  police  insti- 
tution, if  you  like  it  any  better  ;  for  that  is  largely  its  func- 
tion." 

"Persuasion,  then,  loyalty  to  an  establishment,  tradi- 
tional feeling,  deep-rooted  opposition  to  change  and,  es- 
pecially among  the  lower  classes,  self-interest — constitute, 
with  the  natural  religious  feelings,  what  the  Church  of 
England  depends  and  relies  on  to-day  to  maintain  its 
ascendency  in  your  country  ?  "  queried  Mr.  Hastings. 

"  Eight  again  ;  and  I  am  somewhat  surprised  that  you,  an 
American,  can  grasp  the  position  so  clearly.  The  Church 
means  spiritually  very  little  to  the  masses  of  England.  The 
truest  religious  expression  is  to  be  found  among  the  dis- 
senters, who,  however,  hitherto,  and  in  a  large  degree  even 
to-day,  have  had  to  pay  for  their  defection  and  disloyalty — for 
it  is  so  regarded  by  the  church  party — by  loss  of  caste  and 
social  standing.  The  truth  is,  the  clergy  have  usually  talked 
over  the  heads  of  the  mass  of  the  people,  even  supposing 
it  was  possible  to  interest  them  in  a  system  of  theology 


326  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

which  was  utterly  at  variance  with  their  experience  and 
common  sense." 

"I  agree  with  you  there,  Mr.  Thompson  ;  for  I  recollect 
talking  with  one  of  your  Thames  boatmen  on  these  matters 
one  day,  and  I  asked  him,  among  other  things,  if  he  attended 
church?  'In  course  I  does.  Yer  doan't  think  I'm  a 
Methoday,  do  yer,  sir  ?  Noa,  I  belong  to  the  Church.  Been 
attending  most  long  as  I  remember.'  '  Well,'  I  said,  being- 
somewhat  curious  to  find  out  the  spiritual  standing  of  these 
people,  '  then  no  doubt  you  learn  a  great  many  good 
things  at  church.  Can  you  tell  me  something  about  the 
service  last  Sunday  ?  I  suppose  you  were  there  ? '  '  Yes,' 
he  answered,  '  in  course  I  was  there,  and  the  wife,  too  ;  and 
parson  he  did  the  sarvice,  and  pretty  long  it  is,  too,  and 
then  a  stranger  chap  he  coome  in  the  pulpit  with  his  black 
gown  on,  an'  he  preached,  an'  he  preached,  and  said  summat 
about  doing  yer  dooty,  an'  I  says  to  Betsy,  pretty  hard  to 
ask  a  feller  to  do  his  duty  on  ten  shillin'  a  week,  an'  he  got 
a  family  to  support.  I  wonder  what  he  means  by  dooty, 
anyhow?'  And,  on  closer  questioning,  I  found  out  that 
although  this  man  had  been  attending  this  church  since 
childhood,  yet  he  had  never  had  any  clear  idea  of  what  it 
all  meant ;  and  the  outcome  of  all  this  church  instruction 
was — that  there  was  an  old  man  somewhere  in  the  sky,  who 
would  look  after  one,  and  make  it  all  right  some  day." 

"  A  very  fair  sample  of  the  peasant  thought  in  relation  to 
national  church  teaching  and  theology.  Too  many  of  the 
people  attend  church  from  interested  motives — such  as  to 
gain  favor  with  their  superiors,  and  because  it  is  considered 
respectable,"  rejoined  the  Briton. 

This  conversation  had  taken  place  in  the  library,  while  the 
bride  was  being  "  decked  for  the  sacrifice,"  as  Louisa  put 
it— the  wedding  was  to  take  place  at  noon  precisely. 

No  pen  could  do  justice  to  the  lovely  bride  in  her  snowy 
toilet,  surmounted  by  that  exquisite  veil— the  gift  of  Mr. 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  327 

Hastings.  The  two  bridesmaids,  only  less  radiant  than  the 
queen  of  the  occasion,  looked  charming  in  their  white  robes  ; 
and  a  most  exquisite  tiara  of  white  roses,  freshly  gathered, 
was  worn  by  each  in  lieu  of  a  more  elaborate  head-dress. 
Dr.  Seaman  looked  a  little  impatient  as  the  rather  lengthy 
but  solemn  and  imposing  service  of  the  Anglican  Church 
Americanized  was  in  progress,  and  was,  perhaps,  a  trifle 
nervous,  although  he  vigorously  disclaimed  this  charge 
when  so  accused  by  the  bridesmaids,  Elsie  and  Louisa,  af- 
ter the  ceremony. 

"  Of  course  I  realized  the  responsibility  of  the  occasion, 
and  the  fact  that  I  was  giving  away  my  liberty,"  he  said  ; 
"  but  I  was  as  cool  as  a  cucumber,  and  always  gave  the  re- 
sponses in  the  right  place,  which  is  more  than  either  of  you 
bridesmaids  will  be  able  to  do,  when  your  turn  comes,  I'll 
wager  something." 

"  Why,  I  know  it  all  off  by  heart  now,"  returned  Louisa. 

"  So  I  suppose,"  he  answered  quickly — "don't  doubt  it 
in  the  least.  Thought  you'd  be  ready  for  emergency,  eh  ? 
Thanks  for  your  frank  confession.  It  gives  me  some  idea 
now  of  how  some  young  ladies  employ  their  spare  time. 
I'll  take  a  note  of  that  " — at  the  same  time  taking  out  hia 
note-book,  and  pretending  to  make  an  entry. 

Louisa  looked  annoyed,  and  actually  colored,  as  she  re- 
torted : 

"  It's  no  such  thing.  I  know  it  as  a  matter  of  general 
information,  having  heard  it  so  often.  But  it  was  reaUy 
refreshing  to  see  a  sceptic  like  you  caught  in  the  meshes 
of  the  church  at  last,  and  obliged  to  acknowledge  the  au- 
thority of  the  Prayer  Book.  Didn't  he  look  humble  and 
penitent,  Elsie  ?  " 

"  Yes,  you  did,  Warren  ;  and  it  was  so  becoming  to  you, 
that  I  hope  you  will  continue  so." 

"Humble  and  penitent!  Well,  really,  Ellen,  on  your 
honor,  did  you  think  I  looked  either  humble  or  penitent  ?  " 


328  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

pleaded  the  groom  demurely,  turning  with  a  comically  ap- 
pealing look  to  his  wife. 

"  Oh,  pray  don't  ask  her,"  called  out  Louisa.  "  She  was 
too  much  occupied  in  thinking  what  she  had  to  say  next ; 
and  any  spare  time  she  had  was  given  to  wondering  if  her 
veil  hung  quite  straight." 

"  What  a  fib,  Lou  !  "  said  the  bride.  "  Why,  I  never 
thought  about  the  veil  once ! "  and  this  was  uttered  so 
earnestly  that  all  the  others  laughed  in  concert. 

Warren,  however,  covered  his  bride's  retreat  by  adding : 
"No,  indeed,  Ellen  dear,  you  had  something  better  to  think 
of  ;  and  for  myself,  if  I  looked  humble,  it  was  no  wonder  in 
the  presence  of  such  regal-looking  bridesmaids,  wearing 
crowns  ;  and  as  for  the  penitence,  of  course  I  was  penitent 
for  my  sins  of  omission  in  not  having  used  the  privilege  of 
the  last  minutes  of  my  bachelorhood  in  fraternally  kissing 
the  bridesmaids,  which  I  believe  is  always  customary.  But 
with  your  permission,  I'll  make  amends  now." 

Instant  retreat  on  the  part  of  the  young  ladies  alone 
saved  them  the  threatened  punishment ;  and  at  this  mo- 
ment Mr.  Hastings  appeared,  to  lead  the  way  into  the  din- 
ing-room, where  they  found  a  beautifully  decorated  table, 
while  Mrs.  Wagram,  whose  work  this  was,  stood  smilingly 
by,  as  the  guests  entered,  many  of  whom  audibly  expressed 
their  admiration  of  her  attractive  handiwork.  The  room 
was  festooned  and  trimmed  like  an  arbor,  and  over  the 
centre  of  the  table  hung  a  superb  floral  crown.  By  an  in- 
genious device,  several  fountains  of  colored  water  threw 
their  spray  together  with  a  beautiful  blending  of  colors  over 
a  handsome  fretted  glass  bell,  immediately  under  the  crown, 
beneath  which  rested  the  chef-d'oeuvre  of  the  occasion,  the 
bridal  cake.  Fruit  and  flowers  and  those  wonderful  little 
nicknacks,  which  certain  artistic  fingers  so  excel  in  making, 
were  in  profusion.  The  table  was  largely  a  feast  for  the 
eye,  as  the  substantial  viands  were  served  from  side-boards. 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  329 

"I  wish  our  Cave-friends  could  have  been  here,"  whis- 
pered Elsie  to  her  father,  as  she  entered  the  room.  He 
smiled,  as  he  answered  : 

"I  wish  so,  too,  my  child,  if  it  would  have  pleased  you." 

Esmond  had  been  invited,  but  sent  a  polite  note  of  ex- 
cuse— having  a  "  prior  engagement,"  he  said. 

The  usual  speeches  and  good  wishes  followed  the  lunch- 
eon— Mr.  Thompson  congratulating  the  happy  man  on 
having  secured  one  patient,  at  least,  to  begin  practice  with. 

"  But  how  about  the  saying,"  asked  Louisa,  "that  doctors' 
wives  are  always  sick,  and  shoemakers'  always  barefooted  ?  " 

"  I  know  one  doctor's  wife  that  doesn't  mean  to  be  sick," 
answered  Warren — "  not  if  she  takes  her  husband's  advice, 
whether  she  takes  his  medicine  or  not,"  fondly  looking  at 
the  fair  girl  beside  him. 

"  Don't  you  let  him  experiment  on  you  with  undeveloped 
mixtures  and  new  drugs,  cousin  Ellen,"  said  Elsie. 

"At  least,  not  until  he  has  taken  it  first  himself ;  and,  if  you 
do  that,  you'll  never  take  any  medicine,  I'll  engage,"  added 
Louisa.  But  James  came  to  announce  the  carriage,  and  in 
a  few  moments  more  the  happy  couple  were  on  their  way  to 
the  train  en  route  for  Niagara,  where  Ellen  preferred  to  spend 
the  two  weeks  of  absence  which  they  allowed  themselves. 

"Now,  father,"  she  had  said  tearfully,  on  parting  with 
her  parent — and  in  spite  of  the  brave  faces  both  felt  it  in- 
tensely— "  you  will  tell  mother  how  dreadfully  I  feel  at 
letting  you  go  home  without  me,  but  somehow  I  couldn't 
help  it ; "  and  here  she  broke  down  completely,  and  had  to 
be  hurried  into  the  carriage  by  Seaman,  who  felt  almost 
like  a  criminal  at  having  been  the  cause  of  so  much  suffer- 
ing to  these  three.  Louisa  was  much  affected,  but  not  so 
much  as  her  father  and  sister  ;  for  she  was  resolved  to  re- 
visit America,  and  did  not  regard  the  distance  as  such  a 
serious  obstacle  ;  besides  she  was  of  a  much  stronger  nat- 
ure than  Ellen,  and  more  self-reliant 


CHAPTEE  XXVH. 
THE  "GREAT  BOOTY"  MINE. 

"  Now,  St.  Johns,  it's  no  use  being  down-cast.  '  It's  a 
long  lane,'  you  know,  and  I  tell  you  that  you  shall  have  her. 
What  if  she  did  refuse  you  once,  or  ten  times,  for  that 
matter  ?  I've  got  something  to  say  in  the  matter ;  and  I 
think  I  understand  woman's  nature  as  well  as  the  next  fel- 
low, I  don't  care  who  he  is.  But  you  can  let  me  have  that 
thousand  I  won  from  you,  can't  you  ?  I  want  it  this  week, 
badly?" 

Roland  seemed  to  shrink  back  at  these  last  words,  and  a 
look  of  distress  passed  over  his  face,  as  he  slowly  answered  : 
"I  hardly  know,  but  I'll  try.  Mother  asks  curious  ques- 
tions now,  and  wonders  when  the  dividends  are  coming.  It 
can't  go  on  much  longer,  I'm  afraid  ;  and  if  father  ever  finds 
out  how  this  money  has  gone,  it's  all  over  with  me.  I  must 
leave  home  forever." 

"  Tut-tut,  man  !  The  governor's  got  plenty  of  shiners. 
He  can  stand  bleeding  a  while  longer  ;  and  when  you  are 
the  happy  master  of  the  Hermitage,  you  can  flip  your  fingers 
at  the  world." 

"But  couldn't  you  let  this  money  matter  run  a  little 
longer  ?  Why,  Esmond,"  he  gasped,  taking  out  his  pocket 
account-book,  and  running  his  eye  over  some  entries — 
"  why,  I  have  had  over  four  thousand  dollars  from  mother 
already.  I  dare  not  ask  for  any  more  just  yet.  Won't 
those  fellows  wait  ?  " 

"  Pooh-pooh,  man,  don't  show  the  white  feather  in  this 


THE   RUSSIAN   EEFUGEE.  331 

•way.  "What  is  four,  or  even  ten  thousand  dollars  ?  Why,  I 
often  won  and  lost  that  in  a  single  evening.  All  it  wants 
is  nerve.  You  think  too  much  of  small  sums  of  money. 
Nothing  shows  a  man's  greenness  like  that.  You  lost  the 
money  to  me,  and  I  lost  it  to  Jenkins  ;  and  he  says  he  must 
have  the  tin,  and  so  I  have  to  push  you  for  it,  and  you  must 
push  the  old  lady.  Just  boost  her  up  on  the  mine,  can't 
you  ?  Tell  her  we  shall  take  out  ten  thousand  a  week,  after 
the  new  machinery  gets  in,  and  the  water  is  all  out.  Here 
are  some  circulars,  which  you  can  show  her.  "What  do  you 
think  of  that  ?  "  And  the  speaker  took  a  printed  circular 
from  a  roll  of  others,  and  held  it  before  his  companion,  and 
while  holding  read,  in  a  dramatic  style,  as  follows  : 

OFFICE  OF  THE  "  GREAT  BOOTY  "  MINE. 
YEPSING,  TEUTON  COUNTY,  NEVADA  DISTRICT, 

August  17,  18—. 
To  the  President  and  Directors. 

GENTLEMEN  :  I  have  the  honor  to  present  to  you  the  report  here- 
with of  the  committee  of  investigation  appointed  by  you  at  your  last 
monthly  meeting.  As  you  will  see  by  the  report,  the  committee,  by 
personal  investigation  continued  through  many  days,  determined  that 
the  "Great  Booty"  is  the  richest  mine  by  far  on  the  ridge— that 
there  are  millions  now  in  plain  sight,  and  that  the  unseen  wealth  is 
probably  inexhaustible.  They  see  no  good  reason  why  ten  millions 
should  not  be  taken  out  this  year. 

J.  H.  HOE, 


Esmond  read  this  with  a  great  deal  of  flourish  and  em- 
phasis, at  the  same  time  frequently  glancing  at  his  com- 
panion to  note  the  effect.  He  then  handed  him  the  printed 
report,  signed  by  the  committee. 

"  No  need  for  my  reading  that ;  but  you  can  show  it  to 
your  mother,  you  know." 

When  Mrs.  St.  Johns,  yielding  to  the  solicitations  of  her 
son,  agreed  to  buy  shares  of  stock  in  the  Australian  mine, 
she  had  little  idea  of  the  cabalistic  word  "assessments," 
But  at  the  period  at  which  the  convers.ition  just  narrated 


332  THE   KUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

took  place,  the  good  lady  could  have  given  a  voluble  ex- 
planation of  the  word,  with  a  large  series  of  marginal  refer- 
ences, in  the  shape  of  refined  expletives  couched,  of  course, 
in  her  favorite  French.  She  had  been  steadily  drained  of 
all  her  surplus  cash,  as  well  as  that  of  her  daughters',  in 
addition  to  all  she  could  cajole,  borrow,  or  beg  from  her 
husband  on  any  pretense  whatsoever.  But  the  rainbow  of 
hope  ever  arched  the  heavens  of  her  expectancy,  and  the 
promised  pot  of  gold  was  ready  for  the  finder.  Yet  when 
a  letter  from  her  son  reached  her,  inclosing  the  report  and 
secretary's  letter,  of  which  we  give  an  extract  above,  and 
urging  that  she  send  at  once  $1,000,  she  felt  and  looked 
really  ill,  and  retired  to  her  own  room  to  re-read  the  letter, 
doubtful  if  she  really  understood  the  contents.  The  report 
and  official  communication  she  had  not  yet  looked  at. 

"  What  does  the  child  mean  ?  A  thousand  dollars  more  ? 
Why,  he  told  me,  I  am  positive,  the  last  time  I  paid  an  as- 
sessment that  it  would  probably  be  the  final  one."  And 
then  she  again  read  the  epistle,  and  noted  the  stress  put  on 
the  inclosed  report  by  the  writer. 

"  Why,  mother,  just  think  of  ten  millions  !  And  what  are 
a  few  thousands  in  the  shape  of  assessments,  compared  with 
that  ?  You  will  be  independent  for  life,  and  can  live  like 
a  queen." 

Eagerly,  indeed,  she  devoured  the  golden  words  of  the 
secretary,  and  then  the  more  formal  return  of  the  committee 
of  mining  experts— for  so  they  were  designated— each  of 
them  having  hieroglyphics  after  their  names,  for  the  mystic 
letters  meant  little  more  to  her  eyes,  showing  their  won- 
derful and  rare  scientific  attainments. 

"  Ten  millions,"  she  repeated  to  herself,  and  presently 
the  room  seemed  to  expand  into  a  palace,  and  the  very  air 
took  on  a  golden  hue — an  auriferous  vision,  in  which  she 
beheld  a  royal  lady,  arrayed  in  the  richest  products  of  far- 
famed  India's  looms ;  a  figure  before  whom  her  hitherto 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  333 

highest  conception  of  even  Oriental  magnificence  paled 
and  dwindled  into  insignificance  ;  an  army  of  devoted  and 
praise-breathing  courtiers,  only  less  splendidly  attired, 
pressing  forward  to  win  her  favor  or  smile.  The  atmos- 
phere seemed  redolent  of  the  incense  of  delicate  flattery. 
Ten  millions  !  Those  magic  words  !  For  awhile  she  re- 
signed herself  to  this  delicious  and  gorgeous  entrance- 
ment,  this  golden  reverie,  until  a  dark  cloud  came  be- 
tween her  and  the  beauteous  scene  ;  and  on  this  cloud 
appeared  inscribed,  in  plain,  unmistakable  characters, 
$1,000.  She  shuddered,  and  tried  to  bring  back  the  lovely 
scene  which  had  been  obscured,  but  in  vain  ;  only  other 
clouds  appeared,  on  which  she  could  read  $500  and  $1,500 
and  $700,  and  a  number  of  dwarf-clouds,  having  $50  or 
$100  marked  on  them.  The  poor  lady  was  fain  to  awake 
to  reality,  and  by  opening  her  eyes  get  rid  of  these  nubi- 
form  ghosts  with  financial  breast-plates.  Something  must 
be  done  ;  but  what  should  that  something  be  ?  "I  must 
refuse  any  more  money.  Indeed,  I  have  not  got  $50,  and 
dare  not  ask  Ruskin  for  it."  But  the  report  and  the  vis- 
ion !  She  wrung  her  hands,  and  actually  shed  tears.  Sud- 
denly, a  thought  came — "  my  diamond  cross."  Rushing  to 
her  dressing-case,  she  opened  a  secret  drawer,  and  lifted 
with  trembling  fingers  a  beautiful  cross,  sparkling  with 
brilliants,  attached  to  a  gold  chain.  It  was  a  superb  thing 
— a  triumph  of  the  jeweller's  art.  Gazing  on  it,  the  lady's 
eyes  filled  with  tears,  and  she  pressed  her  lips  to  the  trinket. 
Hardly  conscious  of  the  act,  she  adjusted  the  chain  round 
her  neck,  looked  in  the  mirror  for  a  second  to  note  the 
effect,  and  again  took  her  seat,  and  re-read  the  report. 
"  Oh,  what  shall  I  do  ?  "  said  the  poor  woman,  agonizingly. 
"  Ruskin  never  would  forgive  me,  if  I  parted  with  it — my 
wedding  gift ! " 

The  cross  had  been  given  on  the  tenth  anniversary  of 
their  wedding,  in  ratification  of  a  promise  made  by  Mr.  St. 


334  THE   KUSSIAN   KEFUGEE. 

Johns  that  he  would  give  his  wife  a  diamond  cross,  for 
which  she  had  frequently  expressed  an  ardent  desire,  on 
the  receipt  of  his  first  $5,000  fee.  Being  successful  in  win- 
ning an  important  case  for  a  wealthy  manufacturing  firm, 
involving  over  $200,000,  and  finding  himself  richer  in  con- 
sequence by  some  $8,000,  he  fulfilled  his  promise  by  pre- 
senting a  $2,000  diamond  cross  to  his  wife,  on  the  next 
anniversary  of  their  wedding.  Her  almost  childish  joy  on 
receiving  this  valuable  gift  was  so  great,  and  her  gratitude 
so  unbounded,  that  the  lawyer  felt  almost  compensated  for 
having  "  made  a  fool  of  himself,"  as  he  expressed  it  to  a 
friend,  "in  laying  out  such  a  large  sum  of  money  for  a 
bauble." 

"I  only  ask  you,  my  dear,"  he  said  to  her,  "that  you  will 
never  part  with  it  without  my  knowledge,  and  will  wear  it 
at  our  wedding  anniversaries  and  the  birthdays  of  the 
children." 

"  No,  no,  I  never  can  let  it  go  !  The  money  must  be 
raised  in  some  other  way.  I  never  could  look  Ruskin  in 
the  face  again,  if  I  parted  with  it." 

But  the  desire  for  present  gratification  is  generally 
stronger  than  the  fear  of  remote  penalty  for  wrong-doing. 
The  jewel  was  taken  to  a  money-lender,  who  was  accus- 
tomed to  accommodate  ladies  in  financial  straits  ;  and,  un- 
derstanding the  situation  at  once,  M.  Le  Clerk  suavely  in- 
sinuated that  madam  could  easily  have  an  imitation  cross 
made  for  about  fifty  dollars,  which  would  cover  the  trans- 
action completely,  and  no  one  would  be  a  bit  wiser. 

"  I  assure  you,  madam,  when  I  did  go  in  business  in  Paris, 
les  grande  dames  did  leave  their  jewellery  with  me  most  of 
the  time.  Even  ze  court  ladies  with  ze  empress,  and  ze  em- 
press herself,  wear  ze  imitation,  and  nobody  know.  I  will 
give  you  $1,000  for  ze  cross." 

After  some  bargaining,  the  broker  agreed  to  give  $1,200 
— the  owner  to  have  the  privilege  of  redeeming  the  jewel 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  335 

•within  a  year,  on  payment  of  the  money  with  thirty  percent, 
interest,  and  a  bonus  of  $100  for  the  accommodation. 

Roland  received  the  check  for  $1,000,  secretly  wondering 
how  his  mother  had  been  able  to  raise  it  on  such  short  no- 
tice ;  and  he  felt  like  a  criminal,  when  he  read  the  words 
in  the  letter  :  "Now,  my  dear  boy,  see  that  this  money  is 
properly  applied  ;  you  don't  know  what  it  has  cost  me,  but 
it  must  be  the  last.  Your  mother  believes  in  you  as  she 
does  in  her  own  life,  and  would  make  any  sacrifice  for  you  ; 
but  I  can  raise  no  more  money.  The  Mine  must  begin  to 
declare  dividends  now.  Don't  you  think  so  yourself?" 

"  My  mother  is  the  best  friend  I  ever  had  ;  and  I  feel  as 
if  I  was  acting  like  a  devil  to  ward  her  ! "  he  said  passionately 
to  Esmond,  on  handing  him  the  check.  "  Esmond,  is 
there  anything — now,  be  honest  with  me — is  there  anything 
in  that  mine  ?  " 

"  Plenty  in  it,  my  dear  fellow — plenty  in  it.  The  only 
trouble  is  in  getting  it  out.  But  say,  you  have  done  well. 
I'm  proud  of  you  ;  but  what's  wrong  ?  Did  the  old  lady 
kick  badly  this  time  ?  " 

"  Proud  of  me,  when  I  feel  like  as  if  I  ought  to  be  cow- 
hided  !  But  nothing  seems  to  move  you." 

"  Come,  now — no  dumps.  Didn't  I  tell  you  that  every- 
thing is  booming,  and  that  you  will  be  master  of  the  Her- 
mitage before  you  know  it.  But  if  you're  going  to  show 
the  white  feather — well,  good-by." 

"I  don't  want  to  show  the  '  white  feather/  as  you  call  it : 
but  this  thing  can't  go  on  for  ever  ;  and  Elsie,  as  you  know, 
avoids  me.  I  don't  see  any  hope  in  that  direction." 

"  St.  Johns,  just  leave  me  to  manage  this  matter.  This 
check  is  all  right "  (putting  it  in  his  vest-pocket) ;  "  and  now 
let  us  to  other  business.  I  have  something  to  tell  you." 


CHAPTEE  XXVHL 
SOLVING    PROBLEMS. 

"  MY  dear  child,  I  have  been  thinking  of  you  and  your 
father  much  lately.  I  grieve  to  know  of  the  trouble  which 
threatens  you.  Adolph  informed  me  that  you  wished  to 
speak  with  me,  and  I  am  so  glad  you  have  come  to-day." 

So  saying,  the  Patriarch  led  his  guest  to  a  soft  fox-skin 
settee,  and  then  took  a  seat  opposite  her. 

She  fancied  that  the  venerable  form  seemed  somewhat 
more  feeble  since  her  last  visit,  and  to  rest  more  heavily  on 
the  cane  than  usual ;  but  there  was  the  same  mild,  genial 
face,  with  its  wealth  of  fleecy  beard  and  silver  locks,  and  the 
same  quiet  dignity  of  presence  as  heretofore. 

"  My  son  has  put  me  in  possession  of  the  main  facts  of 
the  case  ;  so  I  will  not  trouble  you  by  a  repetition,  but  con- 
tent myself  by  asking  a  few  questions." 

Elsie's  answers  to  the  questions  of  the  Patriarch  soon  put 
him  in  possession  of  the  facts  of  the  case,  so  far  as  she 
herself  knew  them.  One  or  two  points  she  could  not  speak 
of  with  certainty,  and  promised  to  obtain  the  information, 
and  send  to  the  Exile  as  speedily  as  possible. 

"  I  feel  sure  that  help  will  come  to  you  in  this  emergency, 
my  daughter,  and  perhaps  from  unlooked-for  sources.  I  am 
a  very  old  man,  and  have  had  some  peculiar  experiences, 
especially  in  my  early  life,  of  plots  and  plans  for  fraudulent 
purposes,  and  I  feel  satisfied  that  this  is  a  conspiracy  ;  and 
you  may  rest  content  that  any  aid  I  can  afford  will  be  most 
cheerfully  given." 


THE   RUSSIAN    REFUGEE.  337 

"  Oh,  thank  you !  Tour  words  give  me  courage.  Some- 
how, I  think  you  can  help  us.  I  cannot  tell  why,  but  I  feel 
it." 

He  looked  at  her  quietly  for  a  moment  or  two,  with  those 
penetrating  eyes,  and  then  smiling,  said,  taking  her  hand  in 
his: 

' '  Tell  me,  my  child,  would  it  distress  you  so  very  much 
if  your  father  lost  this  property  ?  Even  if  it  made  you  poor, 
do  you  really  fear  poverty  ?  " 

He  seemed  almost  anxiously  to  await  her  answer. 

Flushing  as  if  something  had  been  insinuated  which 
clashed  with  her  higher  instincts,  she  responded  eagerly, 
half  rising,  unconsciously,  from  her  seat  as  she  did  so  : 

"  Oh,  father ! " — he  had  asked  her  to  call  him  father — "  can 
you  think  that  I  value  property  merely  for  itself,  or  fear 
poverty  for  myself  ?  No,  no  ;  but  it  would  sadden  my  dear 
parent's  remaining  years  if  he  were  obliged  to  leave  the 
Hermitage — and  then,  too,"  she  added,  her  voice  quivering 
in  spite  of  herself,  "  it  is  my  childhood's  home,  with  which 
all  that  is  best  in  my  past  life  is  associated.  I  do  not  fear 
poverty,  and  often  wish  that  a  way  could  be  opened  up  so 
that  I  could  help  bear  my  full  share  of  the  great  burden  of 
existence  which  seems  to  weigh  so  heavily  on  many  of  my 
fellow-creatures." 

Her  answer  seemed  to  please,  for  he  smiled  fondly  on 
her,  answering  slowly,  as  if  thinking  over  her  words  : 

"  With  a  nature  like  yours,  my  daughter,  such  desire 
means  performance.  All  duties  lie  not  in  the  same  channel 
of  life.  You  are  doing  your  work,  and  a  way  will  open  up 
yet  for  a  larger  work  if  you  still  cherish  this  desire  and  re- 
main in  this  spirit." 

"  Thank  you,  so  much  ;  but  I  sometimes  fear  I  shall  never 

find  my  true,  that  is,  my  highest  work,  where  all  my  powers 

shall  be  employed  in  advancing  some  grand  cause  which 

enlists  my  whole  nature  and  sympathies — conscience,  heart, 

22 


338  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

judgment,  all — which  will  bring  into  action  the  very  best 
that  is  in  me,  that  I  am  capable  of." 

"  You  will  find  such  work,  my  child  ;  but  it  may  not  take 
such  shape  that  you  will  recognize  it  when  it  comes.  But 
yet  it  will  possibly  seem  partly  familiar,  too,  as  being  work 
attempted  or  begun  before  you  entered  this  stage  of  your 
being." 

She  looked  at  the  aged  face  inquiringly,  and  then,  at  once 
grasping  his  thought,  said,  eagerly  :  "  You  mean  in  the 
previous  life,  before  I  was  born  into  this  present.  I  have 
thought  much  of  what  you  said  about  that.  It  is  quite  new 
to  me  ;  but  somehow  it  does  seem  sometimes  as  if  it  might 
be  true.  But  I  cannot  understand  about  memory.  We 
would  remember  something,  surely,  if  we  had  had  an  intelli- 
gent life  before  this.  Besides,  if  some  are  born  repeatedly 
into  this  human  state,  as  I  understood  Mr.  Adolph  to  say 
was  your  opinion,  then  what  becomes  of  the  past  life  at 
each  change  ?  " 

"I  am  aware  of  the  difficulty  which  seems  to  lie  here  ; 
but  it  is,  believe  me,  more  apparent  than  real.  We  do  re- 
member, only  memory  takes  the  form  of  quicker  under- 
standing, larger  intelligence.  Is  the  wise  man,  the  savant 
of  to-day,  the  man  who  remembers  best  the  petty  items  of 
his  early  training,  of  his  youthful  studies,  or  the  details  of 
his  college  life,  or  even  the  academic  lore  ?  No  ;  it  is  the 
one  who,  perhaps,  almost  forgetting  those  lessons  in  their 
peculiar  and  individual  relation  to  his  education,  yet  has 
gained  from  them  mental  strength,  power  of  sustained 
thought,  clearness  of  intellectual  processes,  and  a  mental 
and  spiritual  tone  which  gives  him  supremacy  wherever  the 
higher  nature  dominates  the  lower.  The  intellectual  giants, 
as  Shakespeare,  Humboldt,  Newton,  Goethe,  etc.,  are,  I  be- 
lieve, the  minds  which  have  been  gradually  developed  from 
mediocrity  to  the  altitude  attained  by  them,  in  this  very 
way— that  is,  by  passing  through  the  discipline  of  this  life 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  339 

many  times.  But  I  see  you  want  to  ask  a  question  ;  speak 
freely,  my  child.  It  is  only  by  seeking  knowledge  that  we 
can  hope  to  find  it." 

Elsie  had  been  listening  intently,  and  was  rather  startled 
at  the  last  remark,  as  showing  a  perception  of  her  thought 
by  her  companion  which  she  could  not  understand. 

"  I  would  like  to  ask  a  question — but  how  could  you  tell 
that  ?  "  she  asked,  almost  nervously. 

"  I  saw  it  in  your  mind,  my  daughter.  Be  not  alarmed. 
I  am  no  necromancer,  or  wizard.  You  can  attain  this  power, 
too,  and  one  day  in  the  fast-coming  future  it  will,  I  believe, 
be  the  common  property  of  the  race.  But  I  will  tell  you 
what  your  question  was,  though  as  yet  unshaped  in  words, 
and  then  proceed  to  answer  it.  It  was,  Why,  if  the  being, 
as  said  before,  until  he  reaches  the  life  of  man,  has  not  ar- 
rived at  the  memory-point,  should  not  one  who  is  entering 
upon  a  second  or  third  stage  of  this  human  existence  have 
at  least  a  partial  memory  of  the  previous  stage  or  stages 
passed  through  in  human  form?  Am  I  right  ?  " 

Wondering,  almost  with  superstitious  awe,  she  looked  at 
him  as  he  concluded,  and  answered  :  "  Yes  ;  that  was  ex- 
actly the  thought  which  would  keep  coming  up  in  my  mind 
while  you  were  speaking — does  he  know  he  lived  before  ?  " 

"He  does  know  it,  but  how?  To  partly  repeat  then, 
memory  of  a  thing  is  knowledge  of  that  thing,  and  that 
memory  will  be  in  exact  proportion  to  the  knowledge.  But 
it  is  rarely  that  we  can  refer  our  knowledge  to  its  source, 
or  origin.  The  educated  man  has  information  concerning 
many  things,  but  he  can  hardly  be  expected  to  tell  whence  he 
gleaned  that  intelligence.  It  has  come  to  him  from  a  hun- 
dred or  a  thousand  sources,  and  in  as  many  different  ways. 
Yet  you  cannot  deny  that,  after  all,  it  is  memory,  although 
he  may  fail  to  inform  you  as  to  how  he  remembers.  So 
Shakespeare  or  Goethe  had  what  is  commonly  called  intui- 
tive knowledge  of  many  things,  which  was  in  reality  the 


340  THE  RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

memory  of  the  former  earth-life  and  the  intelligence  of  the 
things  known  there.  The  study,  and  discipline,  and  ex- 
perience of  the  preceding  human  life  comes  to  them  in  the 
second  as  a  larger  intelligence,  or  appreciation,  or  under- 
standing of  the  facts  and  things  presented  to  them ;  and 
this  on  successively,  until  we  have  phenomenal  power,  genius 
— Shakespeare,  Goethe,  Bacon,  and  in  fact  all  those  who  rise 
above  their  fellows  mentally  and  spiritually." 

"  Then  the  greater  the  intelligence,  or  talent,  or  genius,  or 
whatever  we  may  call  it,  shown  by  an  individual,  the  of  tener 
we  may  conclude  he  has  been  born  into  and  lived  in  this 
world  ?  "  asked  his  hearer.  "  But  if  this  is  true,  why  should 
not  the  supreme  spirit  have  given  longer  life  here,  which 
would  have  answered  the  same  purpose  ?  " 

"  Not  so,  my  child  ;  for  most  of  .us  are  bound  by  circum- 
stances to  certain  paths  of  life,  and  so  hampered  by  condi- 
tions that  we  can  only  develop  in  certain  channels.  So 
that  in  order  to  obtain  symmetrical  development  we  must 
be  ushered  into  life  again  and  again,  under  different  condi- 
tions, so  as  to  call  out  and  exercise  the  latent  and  hitherto 
unused  powers  and  capabilities  of  our  complex  natures  ;  and 
so  the  experience  and  training  goes  on  until  the  being  has 
advanced  as  far  as  the  earth-life  can  bring  him,  and  is  called 
to  a  higher  and  different  life.  But  here  comes  Adolph,  to 
tell  us  that  the  precious  time  which  you  can  stay  with  us 
has  almost  expired,  and  so  we  must  close  this  subject,  hop- 
ing, if  you  still  feel  interested,  to  continue  it  on  some  future 
occasion." 

Nadia  and  Sophia,  who  had  been  down  in  the  ravine  when 
Elsie  arrived,  now  appeared  with  Adolph,  who  had  been  to 
seek  them. 

Elsie  could  not  but  admire  the  dexterity  and  strength 
which  the  Russian  woman  and  her  daughter  exhibited  in 
climbing  the  rope-ladder  leading  from  the  great  chasm  be- 
low to  the  cave  room  in  which  they  were.  Hearing  their 


THE   EUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  341 

voices,  she  and  the  Patriarch  had  gone  to  the  door  or  win- 
dow, whichever  it  might  be  called — the  mouth  of  the  cave 
which  looked  out  upon  the  vast  expanse  beyond  and  below, 
which  Elsie  used  to  gaze  upon  with  such  quiet  enjoyment 
during  her  convalescence  of  a  few  months  before. 

"  Slava  Bogu !  SlavaBogu!"  shouted  the  little  maiden 
as  she  beheld  her  friend,  and  bounding  toward  her,  was  re- 
ceived with  open  arms.  "  How  good  of  you  to  come  again  ! 
I  have  wanted  you  so  much  lately,"  she  said,  panting  be- 
tween the  words  with  the  exertion  of  running  and  climbing 
she  had  undergone. 

"Dear  little  woman,"  returned  the  young  lady,  fondly 
stroking  the  jet-black  curls  of  the  young  Russian.  "  I  have 
wanted  to  see  you  just  as  much,  and  have  thought  of  you 
often.  See  what  a  nice  picture  I  have  brought  you,  to  hang 
in  your  own  room,"  and  Elsie  unwrapped  a  pretty  little 
artistic  gem  which  she  had  put  into  a  frame  of  her  own 
making.  It  represented  two  children  admiring  a  hutch  of 
pet  rabbits,  and  was  really  a  charming  thing  in  its  way. 

Uttering  an  exclamation  of  delight  in  her  native  tongue, 
the  young  girl  rushed  to  her  mother  with  the  prize,  and 
then  returned  to  kiss  the  hand  of  her  benefactor. 

"  How  can  I  thank  you  ?  So  kind  of  you  to  think  of 
me  !  " 

These  simple  people,  with  their  quiet  ways  and  pleasant 
manners,  always  soothed  and  rested  Elsie  in  a  degree  that 
no  other  society  did.  She  felt  that  here  everything  was 
genuine — real,  no  make-believe — nothing  said  or  done  for 
effect ;  she  felt  thoroughly  at  home,  and  as  usual,  parted 
from  them  with  reluctance. 

The  Patriarch  in  bidding  her  good-by,  said,  meaningly : 
"  Now,  my  daughter,  tell  your  good  father  not  to  lose  heart 
about  this  conspiracy — for  such  I  am  confident  it  is — for 
something  assures  me  that  light  will  come  on  the  darkness. 
But  if  things  should  seem  to  be  going  wrong,  don't  hesi- 


342  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

tate  to  come  here.  Come  promptly,  and  tell  me  all  about 
it.  Will  you  promise  me  this  ?  " 

"Willingly,"  she  replied;  "you  can  depend  on  me,  for 
there  is  no  one  I  would  sooner  take  counsel  with,  in  an 
emergency,  and  I  will  tell  father  what  you  say." 

Elsie  had  left  her  horse  at  Hiram's  cottage,  from  whence 
Adolph  had  conducted  her  to  the  cave.  On  the  return,  she 
rallied  him  good-humoredly  on  his  unusual  quietness. 

"  Why,  Mr.  Adolph,  if  I  had  not  just  come  from  your 
home,  I  should  fear  something  was  wrong.  I  do  not  like 
to  ask  if  I  can  in  any  way  be  of  service,  but  you  know  how 
glad  either  father  or  I  would  be  to  serve  you." 

Fearing  she  had  spoken  untimely,  she  paused,  glancing 
at  his  rather  troubled  face.  But  the  sound  of  her  voice 
seemed  to  help  and  rouse  him  from  his  seeming  lethargy, 
and  his  old  cheerful  manner  returned  at  once. 

"  I  am  oppressed  to-day  more  than  for  some  time.  The 
truth  is,  I  am  feeling  more  and  more  how  little  I  have  done 
in  my  life,  and  yet  I  long  to  do ;  and,  as  owned  to  you 
once  before,  feel  the  surges  of  a  worthy  ambition  within 
me.  It  does  seem  as  if  every  avenue  was  walled  up.  My 
father's  peculiar  relations  to  society,  my  own  limited  educa- 
tion and  lack  of  social  culture,  also  the  want  of  a  definite 
occupation.  I  am  depressed  at  the  surroundings  and  out- 
look. These  feelings  used  to  crop  up  before,  at  long  inter- 
vals ;  but  now,  and  during  the  past  few  months — may  I  say, 
since  you  came  like  a  sunbeam  into  our  shadowy  existence 
— they  are  with  me  as  a  perpetual  nightmare." 

His  voice  trembled  as  he  closed,  and  he  turned  aside, 
that  she  might  not  see  his  troubled  face.  She  fully  appre- 
ciated the  condition  of  this  strong  nature,  full  of  noble 
promptings  and  longings,  but  hedged  in  and  baffled  by 
untoward  circumstances. 

"You  can  and  must  break  these  bonds,  and  escape  from 
the  bitter  thraldom  of  circumstances,  this  despotism  of  con- 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  343 

ditions.  I  so  wish  you  would  tell  father  as  frankly  as  you 
have  spoken  to  me.  I  know  he  could  advise  you  so  much 
better." 

"  Oh,  no,  I  could  not  tell  anyone  but  you,  and  you  only 
can  show  me  the  way  of  escape.  We  have  a  superstition  in 
Russia,  that  the  first  person  seen  on  awaking  in  the  morn- 
ing, apart  from  the  family  circle,  is  the  lucky  one,  and  can 
give  best  counsel.  Your  entrance  into  my  life  broke  my  ig- 
noble slumbers  and  roused  me  to  the  glorious  possibilities 
of  the  day.  Speak  and  complete  the  good  work — speak  and 
tell  me  what  I  must  do  with  the  new  day  into  which  your 
coming  has  ushered  me." 

The  Russian  spoke  vehemently  and  with  kindling  eyes, 
from  which  his  very  soul  seemed  to  flash.  She  trembled  be- 
fore his  almost  fierce  impetuosity,  and  wished  in  her  heart 
that  her  wiser  parent  were  present  to  give  the  answer  to 
this  thoroughly  awakened  spirit — awakened  to  life  and  its 
claims  and  responsibilities.  But  Elsie  was  strong,  and  ac- 
customed to  decide  and  think  for  herself,  and  although  her 
voice  trembled  she  spoke  out  bravely. 

"  Would  that  I  were  the  lucky  one  gifted  with  wise 
counsel,  as  your  pretty  story  put  it,  but  alas,  I  am  but  a 
simple  country  girl,  constantly  seeking  counsel  myself.  Yet 
I  will  try  and  suggest  what  seems  to  me  the  best  thing  to 
do  under  your  peculiar  circumstances,  and  what  it  occurs  to 
me  I  should  do  were  I  in  your  place." 

"  Thank  you,  that  is  just  what  I  desire,"  her  hearer  re- 
sponded, gratefully. 

"  Mr.  Adolph,  you  know  you  have  a  great  aptitude  and 
ability  for  natural  science,  particularly  botany  and  geology. 
Now,  I  have  heard  father  often  remark  that  if  one  would 
take  up  in  earnest  any  one  of  the  natural  sciences  and  pur- 
sue it  perseveringly,  he  would  soon  necessarily  acquire  a 
liberal  education  ;  for  these  studies  are  so  affiliated  with  each 
other  that  a  knowledge  of  one  brings  us  into  contact  with 


344  THE   RUSSIAN   EEFUGEE. 

all  the  others,  and  so  compels  information  in  every  direc- 
tion." 

"  I  understand,  but  would  such  a  course  of  study,  which 
I  should  indeed  delight  in,  give  me  eventually  a  definite 
place  and  occupation  in  life  ?  "  he  asked,  eagerly. 

"  Certainly  it  would,  for  father  says  the  world  is  always 
ready  to  welcome  the  true  teacher,  the  man  or  woman  who 
knows  more  on  any  subject  of  interest  than  their  fellows  ; 
you  would  write  down  your  knowledge  and  tell  others  what 
treasures  you  had  gained,  and  share  with  them." 

"But  could  a  man  who  had  not  been  educated  in  the 
schools  and  colleges  write  so  that  the  world  would  read  ? 
I  fear  not,"  he  said,  rather  despondingly. 

"  Yes,  they  would,  for  in  these  studies  you  would  be 
trained  and  cultured  as  no  college  course  could  do  ;  and 
then  the  triumph  of  knowing  that  you  had  reached  suc- 
cess by  your  own  unaided  efforts  ; "  and  she  narrated  the 
story  of  the  Scotch  quarryman  geologist  and  the  peasant 
botanist,  with  such  effect,  that  the  eyes  of  her  companion 
fairly  glowed,  and  his  form  seemed  to  grow  to  larger  di- 
mensions under  the  stimulus  thus  imparted. 

"  Your  kind  father  promised  me  books  from  his  library, 
and  perhaps  he  will  tell  what  others  I  may  require  and 
where  I  can  purchase  them." 

"Father  will  be  delighted  to  aid  you,  and  can  give  you 
wiser  advice  than  I  can.  May  I  tell  him.  the  suggestions  I 
have  made?" 

"  Certainly  ;  but  I  shall  follow  your  guidance,  for  you  are 
the  spirit  of  the  morning  to  me,  remember,  the  lucky  one 
whose  counsel  I  must  follow." 

In  a  moment  more  she  was  in  the  saddle,  and  as  the 
gentleman  handed  her  the  reins  and  whip,  the  fervent 
"  thank  you,  you  have  lifted  the  cloud,"  fell  on  her  ears  like 
a  benison  to  speed  her  homewards. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

THE    TRIAL. 

WHEN  Elsie  reached  home  she  found  her  father  anxiously 
awaiting  her  in  the  library.  He  had  two  things  to  com- 
municate. One  was,  that  the  trial  had  been  fixed  for  the 
following  Monday,  Mr.  St.  Johns  and  his  associate  having 
visited  the  Hermitage  during  her  absence,  and  decided  with 
the  proprietor  that  nothing  would  be  gained  by  postpone- 
ment, and  in  a  case  of  the  kind  it  was  generally  an  advan- 
tage to  bring  matters  to  a  crisis  as  speedily  as  possible. 

"One  reason  I  have  for  advising  thus,"  said  the  lawyer 
"  is,  that  I  have  been  informed  on  good  authority  that  the 
other  side  have  been  making  strenuous  efforts  to  secure  the 
services  of  Sharply,  of  New  York,  who  has  a  great  reputa- 
tion in  cases  of  this  kind,  and  is  remarkably  successful  in 
all  matters  where  audacity,  shrewdness,  and  an  elastic  con- 
science are  necessary.  He  has  wonderful  influence  with  a 
jury,  and  is  the  best  cross-examiner  I  ever  heard.  He 
would  worry  us  considerably,  especially  since  we  have  no 
bonafide  deed  to  show.  Now  he  has  at  present  a  big  case 
on  hand,  and  cannot  come  for  this  term  of  court,  and  so  I 
believe  in  coming  to  trial  at  once,  if  you  are  ready  and  will- 
ing." 

"I  thought  St.  Johns  was  most  likely  right,  so  next 
week  will  probably  settle  the  fate  of  our  home."  And  Mr. 
Hastings'  voice  grew  somewhat  husky  as  he  uttered  these 
words. 

"  My  dear  father,  I  have  no  fear  of  the  result.     I  cannot 


346  THE   RUSSIAN"   REFUGEE. 

believe  that  my  birth-place  will  go  into  the  hands  of 
strangers,  and  the  Patriarch  says  that  it  is  a  conspiracy,  he 
is  sure." 

"  Undoubtedly,  that  is  the  case,  but  not  so  easy  to  prove 
to  the  satisfaction  of  an  ignorant  jury,"  returned  her  parent 
•who  manifested  more  perturbation  than  she  had  ever  wit- 
nessed in  him. 

"  Oh,  I  must  tell  you.  Mr.  Thompson  and  Louisa  sail 
from  New  York  on  Saturday.  They  are  here  now,  having 
returned  from  Toronto  this  afternoon.  Let  us  not  allow 
this  miserable  trial  business  to  cast  a  gloom  over  the  little 
time  they  will  be  with  us.  We  shall  see  some  way  out  of 
the  woods,  no  doubt ; "  and,  the  ordinary  cheerf  ulness  of  her 
beloved  parent  being  again  restored,  at  least  externally, 
Elsie  kissed  him  and  retired  to  dress  for  dinner. 

"  It  is  too  bad  having  to  go  so  soon,  but  I  have  come 
pretty  well  to  the  end  of  my  tether,  and  starting  a  week 
earlier  than  I  anticipated  will  not  matter  much,  besides 
Lou  here  is  beginning  to  sigh  for  merry  England.  But 
we  have  had,  indeed,  a  most  delightful  trip,  and  can  give 
glowing  accounts  of  the  prosperity  of  our  American  cous- 
ins." 

"  But  how  about  Dr.  Seaman  and  Ellen  ?  "  asked  Mr. 
Hastings.  "Surely  you  do  not  leave  without  seeing 
them  ?  " 

"No,  indeed  ;  I  dare  not  face  my  wife  if  I  did  such  a  thing, 
and  so  in  accordance  with  a  previous  arrangement  I  tele- 
graphed to  them  to  meet  us  in  New  York,  where  we  will 
spend  a  couple  of  days  together." 

"  Surely,  Louisa,  your  father  does  not  mean  to  leave  to- 
morrow for  New  York  ?  "  demanded  Elsie,  turning  to  the 
young  lady. 

Louisa  nodded  her  head,  saying,  "  I  believe  that  is  his 
present  plan.  Can't  I  persuade  you  to  go  back  to  England 
with  us,  I  can  promise  you  a  most  pleasant  visit  ?  " 


THE   EUSSIAN   KEFUGEE.  347 

Mr.  Hastings  looked  at  his  daughter  in  such  an  alarmed 
way  at  this  mere  suggestion,  that  she  could  not  forbear 
laughing,  as  she  replied  : 

"Look  at  my  father's  face  for  an  answer.  Oh,  no,  I 
could  not  take  away  his  housekeeper,  besides  I  am  too  in- 
terested about  the  trial  next  week  " — she  bit  her  lip  regret- 
fully, as  she  said  the  words,  but  it  was  too  late. 

"  Oh,  yes,  about  the  trial,  Mr.  Hastings.  Any  new  de- 
velopments ?  "  asked  the  guest. 

So  the  facts  had  to  be  stated,  and,  after  all,  it  was  not, 
perhaps,  much  regretted  that  the  affair  had  been  alluded  to, 
although  unintentionally,  for  Mr.  Thompson's  strong  com- 
mon-sense and  practical  way  of  looking  at  things,  placed 
the  matter  to  both  father  and  daughter  in  a  more  cheerful 
light,  and  the  discussion  of  it,  which,  try  as  they  would, 
was  really  uppermost  in  their  thoughts,  was  the  best  thing 
in  the  end,  for  after  the  talk  each  found  it  easier  to  dismiss 
it  from  the  mind. 

The  next  morning  the  carriage  was  at  the  door  by  eight 
o'clock  and  the  luggage  aboard. 

"  Good-by,  Mr.  Hastings,  if  things  go  well,  promise  that 
we  shall  see  you  at  the  Yews,  with  your  charming  daughter, 
some  time  next  year.  Come,  Elsie,  help  me  persuade  him 
to  say  yes." 

"Perhaps,  but  decision  reserved  ;  however,  I  have  prom- 
ised Elsie  a  visit  to  Old  England  some  day,  and  you  may 
be  sure  yours  will  not  be  the  last  house  we  shall  seek." 

"  Well,  well,  you're  as  obstinate  as  an  Englishman.  Kiss 
me,  my  dear,  for  I  regard  you  as  one  of  my  daughters  now. 
Indeed,  you  must  come  into  my  heart,  to  help  make  up  for 
Ellen." 

Elsie  kissed  the  bluff  hearty  Briton,  and  then  with  eyes 
blinded  by  tears,  bade  good-by  to  Louisa. 

"I  wish  you  were  my  sister,"  whispered  the  warm- 
hearted English  girl,  as  she  embraced  her.  "  I  would  so 


348  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

like  mother  to  know  you.  But  you  will  come  and  see  us 
some  time  next  year,  won't  you  ?  " 

The  Hermitage  really  felt  and  looked  lonely  to  Elsie  after 
the  visitors  had  departed,  for  Louisa  and  she  were  very 
similar  in  their  tastes  and  habits,  and  had  become  quite  in- 
timate. They  had  together  explored  all  the  famous  places 
and  picturesque  points  in  the  neighborhood,  and  the  heir- 
ess of  the  Hermitage  for  the  first  time  realized  how  much 
she  had  lost  in  not  having  a  sister,  or  girl  companion  of  or 
near  her  own  age. 

The  trial  was  to  take  place  at  C ,  the  county  town, 

and  on  the  day  appointed  all  those  interested  were  as- 
sembled at  an  early  hour,  ready  for  the  case  to  be  called ; 
for  it  was  placed  high  up  upon  the  docket.  The  trial 
promised  to  be  an  exciting  one,  and  being  of  an  unusual 
character,  had  caused  a  good  deal  of  discussion  among  Mr. 
Hastings'  neighbors,  who  were  on  hand  in  large  force. 

The  proprietor  of  the  Hermitage  was  not  exactly  a  popular 
man  among  the  lower  classes  and  farmers,  being  considered 
somewhat  too  aristocratic,  and  as  a  magistrate  his  rulings 
had  frequently  given  offence  ;  but  all  respected  him  for  his 
firmness,  courage,  and  inflexible  integrity ;  and  now  that  an 
attempt  was  being  made  by  a  mere  stranger  to  filch  away 
his  homestead,  public  opinion  was  roused  in  his  favor,  and 
the  desire  to  see  him  come  out  victorious  was  intense. 

"  Say,  Hiram,  what  do  'e  think  'bout  the  squire's  chances  ? 
Run  pretty  hard  with  him,  eh  ?  "  said  a  tall,  swarthy  farmer 
who  lived  not  far  from  the  Hastings'  home. 

The  Giraffe,  who  had  been  invested  by  Gretchen's  careful 
hands  in  clean-starched  white  shirt,  an  unusual  luxury,  and 
otherwise  dressed  in  his  best  hunting  suit,  stood  conspicu- 
ous in  the  centre  of  a  small  group  of  loungers  on  the  Court 
House  square. 

"  Wall,  naow,  friend  Clums,  I'm  blessed  if  it  ain't  kind  o' 
skeary— but  darn  my  butes,  suthin'  11  drop  ef  that  'pop 


THE   KUSSIAX   REFUGEE.  349 

go  the  weasel '  feller  ovar  thar  ever  puts  his  hoof  in  the  old 
place." 

"  What'll  yer  do  about  it  ?  Guess  'fill  hev  to  go  'cordin' 
to  law,  an  squire  '11  hev  to  put  up  with 't,  as  well  as  a  poorer 
man,"  remarked  a  young,  sallow-faced  man  who  just  then 
joined  the  group. 

The  trapper  frowned  at  him  from  his  altitude,  and  his 
hands  clasped  nervously,  as  if  he  would  like  to  strangle 
something,  as  he  answered,  rather  scornfully  : 

"  Ye'r  almighty  smart,  Tim  Allen,  but  guess  yer  ain't  no 
lawyer.  Ef  a  man's  lived  twenty  years  on  a  ranch,  isn't  he 
titled  to  it  by  persession,  aye  ?  an  let  me  tell  yer,  friend  Alf 's 
agoing  to  hev  persession  of  his  ranch  's  long  's  he  wants  it, 
I  reckon." 

There  were  two  or  three  present  who  looked  as  if  they 
would  like  to  dispute  this  rather  despotic  position,  but  they 
realized  how  little  chance  there  was  of  getting  the  best  of 
the  trapper  in  an  argument,  and  in  case  of  a  quarrel — which 
was  to  be  considered  among  the  possibilities — it  was  gen- 
erally conceded  that  Hiram  could  lay  out  any  two  men  in 
the  country-side  either  with  hands  or  weapons. 

Just  then  the  usual  notice  was  given  of  the  opening  of 
court,  and  the  people  outside  crowded  in  to  secure  eligible 
seats.  The  earlier  cases  on  the  docket  proved  of  minor  im- 
portance and  were  soon  disposed  of,  all  but  one  being  given 
over  to  referees  ;  so  that,  by  11  A.  M.,  the  "  cause  celebre,"  as 
the  wife  of  the  senior  counsel  for  the  defence  would  have 
said,  was  reached,  and  the  clerk  called  : 

"  Liscomb  vs.  Hastings. 

"A  suit  to  recover  a  certain  property  known  as  the  Her- 
mitage, situated  in County  and State. 

"  Are  you  ready  for  trial?  " 

The  respective  attorneys  having  signified  their  readiness, 
the  case  was  formally  opened  by  the  senior  attorney  for  the 
plaintiff,  Mr.  Anthony  Ferns. 


350  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

The  attorney  was  a  small  man  with  intensely  black  hair 
and  eyes,  seemingly  of  Hebrew  origin,  and  having  a  singu- 
larly nervous  but  impressive  style  of  address.  His  voice 
was  clear  and  high-pitched,  and  he  spoke  in  carefully  chosen 
words. 

He  stated  the  grounds  on  which  his  client  based  his 
claim.  That  his  father,  Thomas  Liscomb,  had  purchased 
the  estate  of  Nicholas  Kuprianoff,  a  Eussian,  who  had  pur- 
chased it  from  the  State,  built  the  house,  and  laid  out  the 
grounds.  That  after  the  purchase  was  completed  and  paid 
for,  but  before  it  could  be  properly  transferred  and  taken 
possession  of,  the  said  Thomas  Liscomb,  the  purchaser,  died 
suddenly,  leaving  his  entire  effects  to  his  only  child,  Arthur 
Liscomb,  the  present  claimant.  The  heir  was  absent  in 
Australia  at  the  time  of  his  father's  death,  and  his  address 
was  not  known.  So  the  personal  effects,  including  a  quan- 
tity of  old  books  and  papers,  were,  after  a  mere  cursory 
examination  by  the  owner  of  the  premises  rented  by  the 
elder  Liscomb,  boxed  up  to  await  the  son's  return. 

All  this  happened  over  fifty  years  since,  during  which 
time  nothing  had  been  heard  from,  or  of  Arthur  Liscomb, 
until  a  few  months  ago,  when  a  letter  was  received  at  the 
Post-office,  addressed  to  William  Dexter  or  his  children. 
It  was  delivered  to  Isaac  Dexter,  William  Dexter,  the  father, 
having  died  thirty  years  ago,  and  found  to  be  from  Arthur 
Liscomb,  asking  if  his  father  had  left  any  property,  personal 
or  otherwise,  and  requesting  that  any  papers  left  by  the 
deceased  be  forwarded  to  him  in  Australia,  at  his  expense. 

Dexter  and  his  sister  were  very  much  astonished  at  the 
receipt  of  the  letter,  having  naturally  enough  supposed 
the  younger  Liscomb  to  be  dead  long  before.  But  the 
books  and  papers,  as  it  happened,  were  found  in  fair  con- 
dition, and  brought  down  from  the  attic,  where  they  had 
lain  with  other  odds  and  ends  which  had  been  accumulating 
there  for  half  a  century.  They  reached  Australia  safely, 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  351 

and  Arthur  Liscomb,  to  his  astonishment,  found  among  the 
private  papers  the  deed  on  which  this  suit  was  based.  His 
father's  memoranda  showed  that  he  had  long  desired  to 
possess  the  Hermitage,  and  had  made  repeated  offers  for  it ; 
but  the  Kussian  proprietor  refused  all  proposals,  until  he 
finally  became  involved  in  some  trouble  which  necessitated 
his  withdrawal  from  public  observation  for  a  time,  and  of- 
fered to  dispose  of  the  property  to  Liscomb  ;  and  so  the  son, 
now  an  old  man,  to  his  amazement  and  indignation,  found 
that  for  half  a  centuiy  he  had  been  living  in  obscurity  and 
poverty,  while  legally  owner  of  one  of  the  finest  estate  in 
his  native  country. 

"  Verily,  'truth  is  stranger  than  fiction,' "  said  the  counsel, 
dramatically,  "and  we  are  now  ready  to  call  our  witnesses 
to  prove  our  position,  and  to  establish  our  rights — that  is, 
after  a  word  of  further  explanation  from  my  colleague,  Mr. 
Lay  cock." 

The  junior  partner  of  the  firm  now  arose,  holding  a  bun- 
dle of  papers  in  his  left  hand,  while  his  right  toyed  grace- 
fully with  a  singular-looking  charm  appended  to  his  watch- 
guard.  It  represented  a  snake's  head  holding  an  egg  in  its 
mouth.  Some  said  the  worthy  advocate  resembled  the 
reptile  in  question,  being  smooth  and  sleek,  and  of  a  gener- 
ally slippery,  oily  appearance.  Quite  in  contrast  to  his 
legal  brother,  he  was  stout  and  florid  and  of  strongly  san- 
guine temperament,  with  an  almost  bald  crown,  fringed 
by  reddish  hair. 

Yes,  Counsellor  Laycock  had  a  contented,  well-fed  ap- 
pearance, and  a  placid  smile  which  seemed,  in  its  bland 
frankness,  to  be  the  very  personification  of  integrity  and 
urbanity.  As  a  witty  physician  had  once  observed  on  see- 
ing the  two  partners  together  :  "Truly  a  legal  marriage 
based  upon  physiological  laws.  Vinegar  and  sugar — clients, 
choose." 

"  May  it  please  the  court,  after  the  very  lucid  way  in 


352  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

which  my  learned  partner  has  presented  the  case,  it  only 
remains  for  me  to  say  that  we  are  willing  to  concede  in  ad- 
vance that  the  present  incumbent  of  the  Hermitage  prop- 
erty purchased  it  from  a  Mr.  Whitely,  who  also  had  pos- 
sibly bought  it  from  the  original  proprietor,  Nicholas 
Kuprianoff,  although,  we  ask  that  both  facts  shell  be  clearly 
proven,  and  the  deeds  produced ;  but  we  are  willing  to  con- 
cede this  much  in  order  to  simplify  matters  and  also  to 
show  that  we  make  no  chai'ge  whatever  against  the  integ- 
rity of  Mr.  Hastings,  whom  we  believe  to  be  an  honorable 
gentleman,  and  to  be  a  victim  of  fraud  himself  in  this  mat- 
ter." And  the  speaker  waved  his  fat  hand  gracefully  in  the 
air,  and  smiled  at  the  buzz  of  satisfaction  which  his  state- 
ment had  produced. 

St.  Johns  jumped  excitedly  to  his  feet.  "  May  it  please 
your  honor,  we  don't  ask  any  concessions  or  compliments 
whatsoever,  from  the  learned  counsel.  We  hope  to  be  able 
to  show  to  the  whole  world  where  the  knavery  in  this  trans- 
action really  belongs.  We  ask  no  gratuitous  testimony  to 
our  integrity." 

"Mr.  St.  Johns,  please  sit  down  ;  you  will  have  your  op- 
portunity after  awhile,"  said  the  judge,  quietly,  with  just  a 
suspicion  of  a  smile  on  his  face,  while  the  audience  laughed 
loudly. 

Smiling  more  blandly  than  before,  and  casting  a  provok- 
ingly  comical  look  at  the  pugnacious  St.  Johns,  the  counsel 
proceeded.  "What  we  distinctly  and  positively  claim  and  can 
prove  is,  that  Nicholas  Kuprianoff  was  a  rascal,  and  deliber- 
ately deeded  and  received  payment  for  the  property  twice." 

"  That's  a  lie,"  came  in  strong,  clear  tones  from  the  audi- 
ence. 

"  Mr.  Sheriff,  arrest  that  man  at  once,  and  bring  him  be- 
fore the  court,  and  I  will  teach  him  to  insult  the  court  in 
this  outrageous  manner,"  said  the  judge,  turning  very  red 
in  the  face. 


THE   RUSSIAN  REFUGEE.  353 

But  in  vain  the  official  passed  among  the  spectators  ;  the 
culprit  was  not  to  be  found,  and  he  was  unwillingly  obliged 
to  report  his  failure  to  the  judge. 

"Well,  I  warn  the  spectators  that  if  this  occurs  again  the 
court-room  will  be  cleared.  Go  on,  Mr.  Counsellor." 

Though  somewhat  flurried  by  the  blunt  rejoinder  to  his 
proposition,  the  attorney  still  maintained  his  confident 
smile,  as  he  proceeded  to  reiterate  what  he  had  said. 

"Yes,  your  honor,  I  repeat  that  the  man,  Nicholas 
Kuprianoff,  after  having  bargained  and  sold  this  property 
to  my  client's  father,  and  received  payment  therefore, 
within  a  brief  period  disposed  of  it  over  again,  as  if  he  still 
owned  it,  to  Mr.  Whitely.  The  Russian  has,  in  the  course 
of  nature,  been  in  his  grave  for  so  many  years,  that  his  very 
existence  would  be  now  forgotten  if  it  were  not  that  retri- 
butive justice,  in  the  person  of  my  client,  comes  forward 
even  at  this  late  day,  to  open  his  dishonored  grave,  drag 
him  thence,  and  hold  him  up  to  execration  and  scorn." 

A  low,  mellow,  mocking  laugh  ran  through  the  house, 
but  although  the  sheriff  and  his  assistants  were  keenly  on 
the  alert,  they  failed  to  detect  the  offender. 

The  judge  flushed  angrily,  and  said,  imperatively,  "  Mr. 
Sheriff,"  and  then  apparently  changing  his  mind,  motioned 
to  Mr.  Laycock  to  proceed. 

"  I  will  now  close  by  saying  that  the  Russian,  after  wait- 
ing some  time  and  shrewdly  concluding  that  the  deed  of 
sale  had  not  been  seen  by  anyone,  and  probably  supposing 
that  the  younger  Liscomb  was  deceased,  deliberately  resold 
the  Hermitage  to  a  Mr.  Whitely,  a  stranger,  who  had  just 
come  into  the  country,  and  was  looking  for  an  eligible  in- 
vestment. We  call  our  first  witness,  Arthur  Liscomb." 

Immediately  there  was  a  hum  of  expectancy  in  the  court- 
room, and  everybody  leaned  forward  to  see  the  plaintiff  in 
the  case.  Nobody  claimed  to  have  any  knowledge  of  him 
or  his  whereabouts,  except  his  attorneys,  and  they  had  kept 
23 


354  THE   RUSSIAN   KEFUGEE. 

their  own  counsel.  No  doubt  this  was  done  for  the  sake 
of  dramatic  effect,  and  to  invest  the  case  with  an  air  of 
mystery,  which  might  alarm  and  befog  their  opponents. 

At  the  words  of  the  junior  counsel  an  elderly  man 
arose  and  came  forward  from  the  obscurity  of  a  pillar, 
which  had  hitherto  effectually  screened  him  from  observa- 
tion. As  he  advanced  slowly  toward  the  witness-stand,  it 
was  seen  that  he  walked  feebly,  leaning  upon  a  cane.  He 
had  a  long,  white  beard,  and  wore  a  skull-cap,  and  was 
dressed  in  the  style  of  about  forty  years  before.  It  was 
generally  decided  among  the  ladies  that  he  was  quite  a 
handsome  old  man,  and  the  interest  in  the  trial  became 
intense. 

"  Pretty  hard  to  be  kept  out  of  his  property,  if  he  really 
owns  it." 

"I'm  sure  he  needs  the  property  at  his  time  of  life." 

"Anyhow  Mr.  Hastings  is  rich,  and  he  can  afford  to  lose 
it  better  than  this  man  can,"  were  a  few  of  the  remarks  to 
be  heard  among  the  people  in  the  seats,  and  standing  by 
the  walls. 

"Silence  in  the  court,"  shouted  the  officer,  and  the  tem- 
porary confusion  ceased,  and  again  all  was  close  attention. 

In  answer  to  questions  of  counsel  the  witness  stated  that 
his  name  was  Arthur  James  Liscomb  ;  that  he  was  seventy- 
four  years  old,  having  been  twenty-four  when  he  left  home 
for  Australia  ;  that  he  was  born  in  Melville,  and  was  the 
only  child  of  Thomas  and  Mary  Anne  Liscomb,  deceased. 

After  answering  a  variety  of  questions,  mainly  intended 
to  bring  out  the  points  touched  on  by  counsel  in  their 
opening  addresses,  Mr.  Ferns  turned  to  St.  Johns,  and 
smiling  courteously  said,  "  The  witness  is  at  your  disposal, 
counsellor." 

The  counsellor  for  the  defence  rose  with  alacrity,  and  it 
was  noticed  that  the  witness  at  once  seemed  to  lose  his 
listless  and  weary  air,  which  had  enlisted  a  good  deal  of 


THE   RUSSIAN    REFUGEE.  355 

sympathy  for  him  among  the  audience,  and  became  brighter 
and  seemingly  younger  in  appearance.  He  sat  more  up- 
right in  his  chair,  and  bent  eagerly  toward  St.  Johns. 

"  You  say  your  name  is  Arthur  James  Liscomb  ?  "  began 
the  counsel 

"  Yes,"  responded  the  other  simply,  at  the  same  time 
raising  his  hand  to  his  mouth,  as  if  to  arrest  a  short  hack- 
ing cough  with  which  he  seemed  to  be  troubled. 

After  a  number  of  preliminary  queries  came,  "Why  did 
you  not  send  for  your  father's  papers  and  effects  before  ? 
"Why  did  you  allow  fifty  years  to  pass  away  before  thinking 
of  your  home  and  parent  ?  " 

The  answer  came  readily  enough  :  "  My  father  and  I  had 
quarrelled,  and  being  naturally  very  high-spirited,  I  would 
not  write  first  to  heal  the  breach.  I  had  left  home  against 
my  father's  will,  who  wanted  me  to  enter  his  office,  and 
follow  his  business,  whereas  I  wanted  to  see  something  of 
the  world.  This  was  the  cause  of  the  trouble.  At  last  I 
accidentally  heard  of  my  father's  death,  through  one  who 
had  just  come  from  Melville,  and  that  he  had  died  very 
poor.  This  astonished  me,  as  I  knew  that  on  leaving  home 
my  father  had  at  least  $20,000  in  cash,  but  concluded  he 
must  have  lost  it  in  speculation  of  some  sort.  However,  I 
wrote  at  once  to  some  friends  of  mine  here,  now  dead,  to  re- 
quest particulars,  and  they  fully  corroborated  what  I  heard, 
and  informed  me  that  the  books,  papers,  etc.,  had  been 
placed  in  Dexter 's  hands  awaiting  my  orders.  I  felt  the 
disappointment  keenly,  having  counted  on  my  father's  prop- 
erty to  set  me  up  in  business,  and  resolved  never  to  return 
to  my  native  land,  or  have  anything  to  do  with  the  paltry 
trash  to  which  I  was  heir.  But  'time  softens  all  things,  and 
so,  a  year  ago,  having  become  old  myself,  and  retired  from 
business,  I  experienced  a  strange  longing  toward  the  home 
of  my  youth,  and  a  desire  to  know  something  of  my 
parent's  latter  days,  hence  my  letter,  and  the  receipt  of  the 


356  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

papers  already  referred  to.  On  looking  over  the  papers 
what  was  my  surprise  to  find  a  deed,  completed  but  a  day 
or  so  before  my  father's  decease,  showing  me  that  I  was  un- 
doubted heir  to  the  Hermitage  estate,  and  then  the  mystery 
was  all  explained,  and  I  now  saw  where  my  father  had  in- 
vested the  savings  of  his  lifetime,  the  $20,000  spoken  of. 
I  recollected  his  having  repeatedly  told  me  of  his  desire  to 
possess  this  property,  and  his  determination  to  own  it,  if 
possible,  before  he  died." 

This  in  substance  was  the  evidence  elicited  by  the  severe 
cross-examination,  in  answer  to  numerous  questions.  And 
so  carefully  were  the  answers  given  that  no  effort  of  counsel 
availed  to  invalidate  them  in  any  degree.  It  appeared  to 
be  a  straightforward  story,  without  a  flaw  in  any  respect, 
and  the  sympathy  of  the  audience  appeared  much  divided 
when  the  aged  witness  left  the  stand. 

The  deed  was  here  produced  and  read  to  the  court  by 
Mr.  Ferns,  and  was  the  usual  printed  document  of  parch- 
ment filled  in  by  the  pen,  stating  that  "  for  and  in  consid- 
eration of  twenty  thousand  dollars,  the  receipt  whereof  is 
hereby  acknowledged,  I,  Nicholas  Kuprianoff,  the  party  of 
the  first  part,  do  grant,  bargain,  sell,  and  convey  to  Thomas 
Liscomb,  party  of  the  second  part,"  etc.  ;  then  followed  a 
minute  description  of  the  Hermitage  property,  and  the 
deed  was  signed  in  full  by  Nicholas  Kuprianoff,  and  also  by 
Elias  Stroub  and  George  Gayling,  long  since  deceased,  but 
well  remembered  as  reputable  citizens  of  Melville. 

The  deed  was  also  indorsed  as  having  been  properly 
registered  at  the  Court  House  in  Melville,  and  was  signed 
by  the  registrar  then  in  office,  but  now  deceased. 

"We  submit  this  to  the  court  and  jury  for  the  fullest  ex- 
amination and  scrutiny.  Everything  is  as  clear  as  the  day  ; 
we  ask  no  concessions,  no  concealment,"  and  here  he  glanced 
triumphantly  at  St.  Johns  and  his  partner,  who  looked 
rather  depressed  at  present  appearances. 


THE   RUSSIAN   EEFUGEE.  357 

The  "  Giraffe,"  who  had  managed  to  crowd  himself  pretty 
close  to  the  bar,  and  had  been  fidgeting  about  in  his  seat 
nervously  during  the  exhibition  of  the  deed,  could  restrain 
himself  no  longer,  although  he  knew  the  sheriff  was  almost 
at  his  elbow,  and  leaning  his  long  neck  toward  Mr.  St. 
Johns,  blurted  out  in  what  was  meant  to  be  a  whisper,  but 
which  sounded  like  the  hoarse  croaking  of  a  raven  :  "  Darn 
my  butes,  but  ef  that  old  crow  does  friend  Alf  eout  of  his 
hum,  why,  durn  his  skin,  but  I'll  twist  his  innards  for  him." 

"Sheriff,  remove  that  man  at  once  from  the  court-room," 
said  the  judge,  peremptorily,  when  the  irrepressible  burst 
of  merriment  which  this  sally  produced  had  somewhat 
subsided. 

"  Come,  Hiram,"  said  the  official,  who  knew  him  well,  and 
did  not  relish  his  commission,  "  come,  you'll  have  to  go 
out.  The  judge  is  angry,"  and  he  laid  his  hand  upon  the 
trapper's  shoulder  kindly. 

"  Loose  yer  holt,  or  suthin'll  give  way.  Haw,  haw,  haw  ! 
to  go  to  put  a  feller  aeout  cos  he  talks  in  his  sleep.  Haw, 
haw  !  Jedge,  I  'casionally  whisper  kind  o'  in  my  sleep.  Jes' 
tell  yer  man  to  be  still,  will  yer,  or  maybe  he'll  get  hurt." 

The  trapper  had  now  drawn  himself  up  to  his  full  propor- 
tions and  looked  down  on  the  officers  who  crowded  around 
him,  as  a  full  grown  cat  might  at  a  parcel  of  kittens. 

To  put  the  athletic  and  fearless  mountaineer  out  of  the 
room  by  main  force  would,  they  well  knew,  be  an  almost 
hopeless  task,  although  there  were  four  of  them,  and  so 
they  contented  themselves  at  first  by  coaxing  him. 

But  at  this  juncture  Mr.  Hastings  rose  and  requested 
the  judge  that  the  offender  be  allowed  to  remain,  promis- 
ing to  be  responsible  for  his  future  good  behavior. 

"It  was  an  involuntary  offence,  your  Honor,  arising  from 
his  friendship  for  me." 

"  Very  well,  Mr.  Hastings,  he  can  remain  on  your  re- 
sponsibility." 


358  THE   RUSSIAN    REFUGEE. 

"  Haw,  haw  !  "  laughed  the  culprit,  in  a  hoarse  whisper, 
"  but,  darn  my  butes,  ef  I  don't  twist  his  lying  throttle  any- 
ways." 

Although  this  was  heard  by  half  the  court-room,  no  fur- 
ther notice  was  taken,  and  the  trial  proceeded. 

Witnesses  were  now  put  on  the  stand  to  prove  the  sig- 
natures attached  to  the  deed.  Children,  and  neighbors' 
children,  of  the  defunct  signers — all  belonging  to  a  later 
generation,  and  many  of  them  of  seemingly  the  same  age 
as  the  claimant — swore  distinctly  to  the  signatures  of  the 
registrar,  the  witnesses,  and  the  Eussian  himself.  There 
did  not  seem  the  slightest  doubt  as  to  the  genuineness  of 
the  instrument. 

Truly,  things  began  to  look  black  for  the  owner  of  the 
Hermitage  and  his  brave  daughter,  who  sat  by  her  father, 
occasionally  whispering  to  him.  The  cross-examination  of 
these  witnesses  was  severe  and  relentless,  but  failed  to  affect 
their  testimony  as  to  the  genuineness  of  the  signatures. 
Witnesses  now  came  forward  to  identify  the  plaintiff. 
After  fifty  years'  absence  this  was,  of  course,  not  an  easy 
thing  to  accomplish,  and  the  friends  of  the  defendant  were 
correspondingly  hopeful.  But  these  people — persons  well 
known  in  the  neighborhood,  and  two  from  a  distance,  six  in 
all — swore  as  positively  to  the  identity  of  the  claimant  as 
others  had  to  the  genuineness  of  the  deed.  And  the  evi- 
dence was  more  convincing  because  in  three  cases  the  tes- 
timony was  given  with  evident  reluctance.  One,  William 
Craig,  a  man  of  sixty-eight  years,  declared  he  would  rather 
cut  off  his  right  hand  than  be  the  means  of  depriving  Mr. 
Hastings  of  his  property.  "  For,  he  has  always  been  a  good 
friend  to  me,  and  I  wouldn't  have  come  here  to  day,  only 
the  law  brought  me,  and  seeing  I  am  here,  I  must  speak  the 
truth." 

This  witness  was  confused  somewhat  by  the  shrewd  ex- 
amination of  the  junior  counsel  for  the  defence,  Mr.  Allen, 


THE   EUSSIAN   EEFUGEE.  359 

but  held  substantially  to  his  first  statement  as  to  how  he 
knew  the  complainant  to  be  Arthur  Liscomb. 

"I  used  to  go  to  school  with  him,  and  he  used  some 
words  in  a  way  I  never  heard  anybody  else  say  them,  and 
then  we  often  used  to  go  in  swimming  together,  and  I  no- 
ticed that  two  of  his  toes  on  the  right  foot  was  growed  to- 
gether, and  all  of  us  boys  noticed  it,  and  we  got  to  call  him 
web-toed."  The  witness  swore  that  on  recently  meeting 
Liscomb,  and  thinking  he  recognized  him,  he  requested 
him  to  pull  off  his  right  boot,  which  he  did,  "  and  there  was 
the  web,  as  I  remembered  it  well." 

It  is  useless  to  give  the  details  ;  suffice  it  to  say  that  Mr. 
Hastings'  attorneys  did  all  that  men  could  do  to  disprove 
testimony  and  break  down  evidence,  but  although  they 
brought  forward  witnesses  on  their  side  who  testified  that 
the  plaintiff  was  not  and  could  not  be  Arthur  Liscomb,  yet 
they  did  not  hold  out  consistently  in  the  fiery  cross-ex- 
amination to  which  sapient  Anthony  Ferns  subjected  them. 
So  true  is  it,  that  a  strong  affirmation  will  always  carry 
more  weight  with  the  mass  than  an  equally  positive  denial. 
The  affirmation  gets  possession  of  the  mind,  and  "  posses- 
sion is  nine  points  of  the  law."  This  is  shown  in  the  his- 
tory of  civil  and  religious  life.  How  false  customs  and  be- 
liefs which  were  instituted  with  strong  affirmative  authority 
have  held  their  way  !  No  matter  how  disproved  by  fact  or 
reason,  or  both,  the  false  impression  holds  possession  of  the 
mind,  and  nothing  but  a  mental  or  moral  earthquake  will 
suffice  to  uproot  it.  So  all  efforts  of  counsel  on  the  present 
occasion  failed  to  dislodge  the  conviction  from  the  minds 
of  the  majority  present  that  the  plaintiff  was  the  man  he 
claimed  to  be.  The  improbability  of  witnesses  being  able 
to  recognize  anyone  not  a  relative  from  their  own  family 
circle,  or  who  had  not  been  associated  with  them  on  terms 
of  close  intimacy,  after  a  lapse  of  over  half  a  century,  was 
earnestly  dwelt  upon  and  had  due  weight  with  the  thinkers 


360  THE   RUSSIAN    REFUGEE. 

present,  but  the  defendant  and  his  counsel  felt  that  the 
positive  testimony  of  the  witnesses  for  the  prosecution  had 
made  a  powerful  impression  upon  the  jury  and  the  mass  of 
the  audience.  The  witnesses  on  both  sides  had  been  ex- 
amined with  the  exception  of  Mr.  Hastings  when  the  court 
closed  for  the  day. 

St.  Johns  and  his  colleague  differed  somewhat  as  to  the 
advisability  of  calling  the  proprietor  of  the  Hermitage  to 
the  witness-stand  at  all.  One  thought  that  certain  ques- 
tions which  the  opposing  counsel  would  be  sure  to  ask, 
would  elicit  answers  necessarily  prejudicial  to  their  case, 
owing  to  an  awkward  combination  of  circumstances ; 
while  the  other  insisted  that  Mr.  Hastings'  clear  statement 
of  the  facts,  coupled  with  his  well-known  integrity,  would 
have  an  excellent  influence  on  the  jury.  The  opinion  of 
the  latter,  seconded  as  it  was  by  the  defendant's  own  desire, 
prevailed,  and  it  was  settled  that  he  be  called  on  the  first 
thing  after  opening  court  next  morning. 

Mr.  Hastings  wished  the  two  attorneys  to  take  up  their 
residence  at  the  Hermitage  during  the  course  of  the  trial, 
but  St.  Johns  decided  it  would  be  better  to  remain  at  the 
hotel,  for  some  special  reasons  which  he  had,  and  also,  be- 
cause they  would  be  very  busy. 

"  Now,  papa,  you  must  not  worry,  for  even  if  the  worst 
comes,  and  we  lose  our  dear  home,  we  have  each  other,  and 
if  necessary,  I  can,  I  know,  find  something  to  do  to  help 
our  income." 

"My  dear  child,  you  have  your  mother's  spirit,  and  are 
very  comforting  to  me,  bearing  this  trial  and  the  publicity 
and  annoyance  so  bravely.  But  I  have  faith  that  St.  Johns 
may  find  some  way  to  thwart  these  scoundrels  yet.  If  I  lose 
this  property  I  shall  be  comparatively  a  poor  man,  for  I 
have  spent  most  of  my  wealth  upon  this  place.  Yet  we 
shall  not  be  so  poor  that  you  need  think  of  what  you  speak 
of." 


THE   RUSSIAN    REFUGEE.  361 

"  Indeed,  father,"  and  her  dark  eyes  shone  in  the  gather- 
ing dusk,  "  I  feel  anyway  as  if  I  ought  to  have  some  defi- 
nite occupation,  for  I  really  feel  more  and  more  that  no  one 
is  justified  in  living  an  idle  life  in  this  world,  and  being 
supported  by  the  labor  of  others.  It  seems  cowardly  to 
me.  The  toilers  all  around,  and  I  nothing  but  a  receiver." 

"Elsie,  my  dear,  don't  talk  that  way,  for  you  lead  a  use- 
ful enough  life,  and  cannot  really  be  called  an  idler.  Why, 
you  are  my  housekeeper,  and  I  am  sure  you  visit  the  poor 
and  help  bless  the  lives  of  many." 

"  But,  father,  all  I  do  is  but  a  crumb  compared  to  what 
some  women  do.  Take  Miss  Watson  ;  why,  she  does  five 
times  the  amount  of  charitable  work  that  I  do,  and  yet 
supports  her  mother,  and  her  dead  sister's  two  children, 
and  helps  keep  house  into  the  bargain." 

"  Miss  Watson  is  a  noble  woman,  Elsie,  and  I  now  see 
from  whom  you  got  your  ideas.  Believe  me,  I  appreciate 
your  desire  to  help  bear  your  share  of  the  sad  burden  of  the 
world,  and  will  be  glad  in  any  way  to  help  you  in  your  plans 
if  they  seem  wise.  Wealth  or  a  competency  does  not,  in- 
deed, release  any  human  being  from  the  responsibilities  of 
life — in  fact,  it  rather  increases  them.  But  there  is  the 
dinner-bell,  and  you  must  be  really  hungry.  I  know  I  am." 

About  an  hour  after  dinner  Mr.  Hastings  was  sum- 
moned to  the  library  to  meet  a  visitor,  and  was  astonished 
on  entering  the  room  to  find  himself  confronted  by  the 
redoubtable  Mr.  Ferns,  senior  counsel  for  his  antagonist. 

"  You  are  surprised  to  see  me,  Mr.  Hastings,"  said  that 
worthy,  as  the  other  bowed  stiffly,  after  his  momentary 
amazement  at  this  bearding  the  lion  in  his  den.  "But,  be- 
lieve me,  I  am  here  as  a  friend,  and  altogether  in  your  in- 
terest." 

"  I  am  ready  to  hear  anything  you  have  to  say  to  me," 
responded  the  other,  calmly,  motioning  his  visitor  to  a  seat. 

"  I  come,  Mr.  Hastings,  to  open  negotiations  with  you 


362  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

on  behalf  of  my  client,  looking  to  an  amicable  settlement 
of  this  most  unpleasant  affair." 

"  Beally,  I  must  decline,  to  entertain  any  proposition 
whatsoever  from  the  man  who,  I  believe,  under  a  false  pre- 
tence, is  trying  to  rob  me  of  my  property,"  returned  the 
proprietor  of  the  mansion,  firmly.  "  So  if  that  is  the 
meauing  of  your  presence  here  I  presume  that  our  inter- 
view is  at  an  end." 

"  Pardon  me,  Mr.  Hastings.  I  am  well  aware  of  the 
feelings  with  which  you  naturally  regard  us,  and  I  do  not 
blame  you  under  the  peculiar  circumstances.  But  please 
to  remember  that  I  am  only  a  professional  man  doing  my 
duty  on  behalf  of  my  client,  and  you  surely  cannot  blame 
me  for  that.  Besides,  Mr.  St.  Johns  assured  me  not  an 
hour  since  that  you  would  give  me  a  hearing  on  this  ques- 
tion, as  it  is  merely  to  make  a  proposition,  which  you  are, 
of  course,  at  liberty  to  accept  or  reject,  as  you  see  fit." 

"Very  well,"  said  the  gentleman,  after  a  momentary 
struggle  with  himself,  "  as  you  have  taken  the  trouble  to 
seek  me  here,  I  suppose  you  are  at  least  entitled  to  the 
courtesy  of  a  hearing.  Pray  proceed,  and  be  as  brief  as 
possible,  as  my  daughter  awaits  me." 

"Thank  you.  Now  to  business.  You  must  be  aware 
that  the  trial  is  virtually  over,  and  the  probabilities  largely 
in  favor  of  my  client.  Forgive  me  for  speaking  so  bluntly," 
seeing  that  his  hearer  evinced  some  irritation,  "  but  as  a 
lawyer,  who  has  had  an  extensive  practice,  taking  all  objec- 
tive and  subjective  matters  into  consideration,  I  think  I  am 
justified  in  saying  that  nothing  short  of  a  miracle  could 
prevent  a  verdict  in  our  favor." 

"I  really  do  not  see  justification  for  such  a  statement. 
Surely  it  is  not  a  usual  thing  for  an  interested  lawyer  to 
express  himself  so  positively  regarding  a  cause  which  has 
not  as  yet  reached  the  jury,"  said  Mr.  Hastings,  sarcasti- 
cally. 


THE   RUSSIAN    REFUGEE.  363 

The  other  moved  a  little  nervously  at  this  retort,  and  re- 
plied, "  No,  not  usual  perhaps,  but  frequently  done  when 
we  know  our  jury  and  have  such  evidence  to  support  us. 
But  to  come  to  the  gist  of  the  matter,  let  me  say  that  my 
esteemed  client,  Mr.  Arthur  Liscomb,  feeling  the  very  deep- 
est commiseration  and  sympathy  for  you  and  Miss  Hast- 
ings  " 

"  Stop !  "  said  the  master  of  the  mansion  in  a  loud  voice, 
starting  from  his  chair,  "  don't  you  dare  to  refer  to  my 
daughter  in  any  such  way.  We  neither  of  us  ask  either 
commiseration  or  sympathy  from  Mr.  Arthur  Liscomb,  as 
you  term  him.  Just  finish  what  you  have  to  say  and  end 
this  interview  as  speedily  as  possible." 

"  Oh,  certainly,  certainly.  I  meant  no  offence,"  said  the 
attorney,  blandly,  who  also  had  arisen  and  retreated  a  step, 
so  vehement  had  been  the  manner  of  the  other.  "I  merely 
desired  to  say  that  Mr.  Liscomb  offers  to  compromise  this 
matter  by  giving  up  all  claim  to  the  estate  on  condition 
that  you  will  simply  pay  to  him  in  cash  the  $20,000  which 
his  father  paid  for  it  fifty  years  since,  with  interest  at  six 
per  cent,  to  date ;  we  will  be  satisfied  with  simple  interest." 

"  Eeally,  your  generosity  is  astounding.  No  doubt  you 
have  accurately  calculated  what  the  interest  would  amount 
to  in  half  a  century  ?  Cool,  upon  my  word.  No,  sir  ;  go 
back  to  the  knave  who  employed  you,  and  tell  him  that  I 
will  take  no  proposal  of  any  kind  from  him.  If  the  law 
gives  him  the  estate,  I  suppose  I  must  submit  to  the  rob- 
bery, but  I  refuse  to  hold  intercourse  with  thieves." 

"  How  dare  you  use  such  expressions  !  Now  we  will 
show  you  our  power,  and  will  turn  you  into  the  street," 
said  the  attorney,  springing  to  his  feet  in  a  fury,  and  shak- 
ing his  fist  at  the  other. 

This  was  too  much  for  Mr.  Hastings,  who  sprang  toward 
the  visitor  just  as  he  passed  through  the  door,  which  he  had 
opened  as  he  arose.  The  owner  of  the  mansion  was  rap- 


364  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

idly  following  the  rash  lawyer,  with  the  intention  of  forci- 
bly ejecting  him  from  the  premises,  when  a  hand  was  laid 
upon  his  arm,  and  a  voice  said  in  a  low  tone  :  "  Father  !  " 
This  recalled  the  irate  man  to  himself,  and  feeling  ashamed 
of  his  momentary  passion,  he  suffered  his  daughter  to  lead 
him  back  into  the  library.  The  hall  door  slammed  after 
the  retreating  attorney,  and  presently  his  vehicle  was  heard 
rolling  rapidly  away.  "  Why,  father,  what  were  you  going 
to  do  to  that  man  ?  Wasn't  it  one  of  those  lawyers  we  saw 
to-day  in  court — the  one  who  made  the  first  speech  ?  " 

"Yes,"  replied  her  father,  walking  up  and  down  the 
room  as  if  to  regain  his  self-command  ;  "  yes,  it  was  the 
fellow  they  call  Ferns."  Then,  laughing  heartily,  "With 
regard  to  your  other  question,  as  to  what  I  was  going  to  do 
to  him,  I  can  hardly  say.  I  suppose  I  meant  to  kick  him 
into  the  street,  if  I  had  caught  him." 

"  But  what  brought  him  here  to-night,  father — was  it 
about  the  trial  ?  " 

"  Elsie,  he  came  to  offer  to  compromise  the  matter,  to 
offer  me  my  own  property,  if  I  would  agree  to  pay  $20,000 
and  the  interest  on  it  for  fifty  years,  all  cash  down — some- 
thing in  the  neighborhood  of  $100,000.  What  do  you 
think  of  that  for  cool  insolence  ?  " 

"Why,  surely  the  property  is  not  worth  so  much  as 
that !  "  exclaimed  Elsie  in  alarm  at  the  audacity  of  the  pro- 
posal. 

"It  would  probably  bring  sixty  or  seventy  thousand  at  a 
forced  sale,  but  I  would  not  part  with  it  for  even  a  hundred 
thousand,"  said  her  father. 

However,  the  episode,  now  it  was  past,  was  a  source  of 
considerable  amusement  to  both  father  and  daughter,  sad 
as  they  felt  otherwise  about  their  home. 

"I  really  feel  ashamed  of  myself,  showing  so  much 
passion  before  that  pettifogging  scoundrel,  but  I  lost  my 
control  before  I  knew  it.  It  shows  we  never  quite  conquer 


THE   RUSSIAN    REFUGEE.  365 

ourselves.  I  have  not  been  in  such  a  temper  for  at  least 
fifteen  years,  but  in  early  life  I  was  very  passionate." 

"I  never  remember  seeing  you  look  so  angry,  papa,  be- 
fore ;  why,  you  looked  quite  savage." 

"It  is  going  back  to  the  savage  condition  again  to  lose 
control  of  one's  temper,  my  dear.  But  it  is  all  over  now, 
and  I  must  try  to  keep  free  for  another  fifteen  years.  But 
it  is  time  for  retiring,  as  to-morrow  promises  to  be  an 
anxious  day  for  us  all." 


CHAPTEK  XXX. 

IN    DEEP    WATEKS. 

AT  least  an  hour  before  court  formally  opened  every  seat 
•was  occupied,  for  the  interest  had  become  intensified  in 
view  of  the  examination  of  Mr.  Hastings  on  the  second 
morning  of  the  trial.  The  busy  tongues  of  the  audience 
kept  things  pretty  lively  before  the  opening  of  court,  and 
varied  indeed  were  the  opinions  exchanged.  The  age  and 
apparent  feebleness  and  poverty  of  the  plaintiff  had  en- 
listed much  sympathy,  which  was  enhanced  by  the  fact 
that,  being  a  stranger,  at  least  to  the  present  generation, 
nothing  was  known  against  him.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
defendant  was  reputed  a  rich  man,  and  who  had  frequently 
come  into  conflict  with  the  baser  and  less  scrupulous  ele- 
ments of  the  community. 

"Squire's  gone  up  this  time,  I'm  afeard,"  remarked  a 
farmer  to  Hiram  as  that  worthy  brushed  against  him  en- 
tering the  court-room. 

The  "  Giraffe  "  shut  one  eye  sententiously,  regarding  the 
speaker  comically  with  the  remaining  optic. 

"Naow  don't  you  be  riled  'bout  the  squire,  friend  James, 
cos  the  squire's  got  lots  of  friends  yet,  an'  purty  good  ones 
too,  that'll  see  him  through  all  right." 

"Yaas,  but  yer  can't  go  ag'in'  evidence,  Hiram,  an'  the 
evidence's  clean  t'other  way.  As  I  says  to  Bessie,  this  very 
morning,  '  Evidence  is  evidence,  an',  durn  me,  but  the  Lis- 
comb  old  man's  got  it.  He's  the  old  man's  son  sure's 
yer  born.'  'Yes,'  says  she,  kind  o'  sharp  like,  '  an'  he's  the 
old  man  hisself,  an'  the  son  of  his  father,  an'  that  father's 


THE    RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  367 

name's  just  Thomas  Liscomb.  You  can  bet  your  bottom 
dollar  on  that'  Them's  jest  the  words  Bess  said,  an'  wom- 
en knows  'bout  sich  matters  mor'n  most  men  ;  leastwise 
that's  my  'speariance." 

The  trapper  laughed  good-humoredly  without  answer- 
ing, as  he  pushed  forward  to  the  front.  After  court  was 
formally  opened,  Mr.  Hastings  was  called  to  testify  on  his 
own  behalf.  He  briefly,  in  answer  to  questions  by  his 
counsel,  told  how  and  when  he  became  the  possessor  of 
the  Hermitage,  some  twenty-seven  years  before. 

"I  received  my  deed  from  Mr.  Whitely,  and  it  was  prop- 
erly registered  in  the  registrar's  office." 

"  Did  Mr.  Whitely  show  you  his  deed  from  the  Eussian, 
Nicholas  Kuprianoff,  the  original  proprietor  ?  "  asked  St. 
Johns. 

"  Yes,  and  at  my  request  gave  it  to  me,  as  of  course  he 
had  no  further  use  for  it,"  replied  the  witness. 

A  number  of  other  questions  brought  out  clearly,  that  the 
present  incumbent  of  the  Hermitage  had  come  into  posses- 
sion of  the -property  by  honest  purchase  and  had  held  un- 
disputed and  peaceable  occupancy  for  twenty-seven  years. 
The  first  question  asked  by  Anthony  Ferns,  whose  small 
eyes  snapped  maliciously,  as  he  glared  at  the  man  who  had 
so  insulted  him  the  night  before,  was  :  "  Have  you  at  pres- 
ent in  your  possession  any  deed  for  this  property  of  which 
you  claim  to  be  the  lawful  owner  ?  " 

The  tone  and  manner  were  so  insulting  that  the  witness 
at  first  was  inclined  to  refuse  answering,  and  glanced  at 
St.  Johns,  who  immediately  rose  and  protested  against  con- 
suming valuable  time  by  irrelevant  questions.  "  The  wit- 
ness has  sworn  to  having  received  a  deed  for  the  property 
from  Mr.  Whitely,  and  I  must  request  the  court  to  protect 
us  against  insolent  and  useless  questions." 

"  Your  honor,  the  question  is  neither  irrelevant  nor  use- 
less, for  we  refuse  to  accept  the  defendant's  statement,  even 


368  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

on  oath,  with  regard  to  his  having  a  legal  deed  to  this  prop- 
erty. We  all  know  that  men  have  frequently  held  posses- 
sion unquestioned  for  a  longer  period  than  twenty-seven 
years,  when  in  reality  they  had  no  more  legal  right  to  the 
property  involved  than  the  veriest  pauper  on  the  highway. 
We  ask  your  honor  to  compel  the  witness  to  answer  this  vital 
question,  which,  all  must  allow,  the  evident  unwillingness  of 
the  other  side  to  answer,  affords  grave  grounds  for  suspicion." 

"  Forbear  your  inferences,  Mr.  Ferns,"  said  the  judge, 
severely  ;  "  the  question  is  a  proper  one,  and  the  witness 
will  please  answer." 

Very  significant  were  the  glances  exchanged  on  all  sides 
during  this  wrangle,  and  the  impression  left  was  not  favor- 
able to  the  defence.  Mr.  Hastings  spoke  slowly  and  dis- 
tinctly, fixing  his  eyes  calmly  upon  the  satisfied  face  of  the 
cross-examiner. 

"  The  reason  I  hesitated,  your  honor,"  glancing  toward 
the  judge,  "  was  the  evident  malice  with  which  the  ques- 
tion was  put,  and  considering  that  the  questioner  barely 
escaped  deserved  chastisement  at  my  hands  a  few  hours 
since,  for  an  insolent  proposal  to  compromise  this  case." 

The  witness  was  not  allowed  to  conclude  this  statement 
without  interruption,  for  both  lawyers  for  the  plaintiff  loudly 
protested  against  the  introduction  of  irrelevant  matter  ;  but 
the  speaker  never  faltered  until  the  final  word  which  put 
the  jury  and  audience  in  possession  of  a  fact  which  cer- 
tainly added  new  zest  to  the  trial,  even  if  it  did  not  help 
either  side. 

"Mr.  Hastings,  answer  the  question  directly,  without 
circumlocution,"  said  the  judge. 

"I  ask  you  again,"  said  Ferns,  imperatively,  his  flushed 
cheek  showing  his  annoyance,  "  have  you  in  your  posses- 
sion any  deed  to  the  property — Yes  or  No  ?  " 

"  I  have  not  the  deed  referred  to  at  present  in  my  posses- 
sion. It  was  stolen  from  me." 


THE   RUSSIAN    REFUGEE.  369 

"  We  want  none  of  your  theories  to  account  for  the  non- 
possession  of  what  a  few  moments  ago  you  swore  you  had. 
The  jury  will  note  that  the  witness  acknowledges  that  he 
has  no  deed  for  this  property.  Is  in  fact  merely  a  squatter 
upon  it." 

'•'Again  I  will  ask  the  court  to  protect  the  witness  from 
insult,"  said  St.  Johns,  springing  to  his  feet. 

"Have  you  any  other  questions  to  ask  the  witness?" 
said  the  judge,  frowning  at  the  cross-examiner.  "  If  not, 
he  may  retire." 

"A  moment,  your  honor.  Mr.  Hastings,  you  said  a  few 
moments  since,  that  the  original  deed  made  by  Nicholas 
Kuprianoff  was  given  to  you  by  Mr.  Whitely.  Can  you 
produce  that  ?  " 

"  I  object  to  these  unnecessary  questions  which  have  no 
bearing  whatsoever  upon  the  case,"  said  the  senior  attorney 
for  the  defence. 

The  judge  ruled  against  this  question,  on  which  Ferns 
noted  un  exception,  exclaiming  tartly,  "  I  hope  the  jury 
will  note  this.  We  asked  the  question  because  we  are 
morally  certain  the  defendent  has  no  such  deed,  for  it 
would  be  in  their  own  interest  to  produce  it,  as  going  to 
corroborate  the  story  of  the  purchase  from  Mr.  Whitely." 

The  witness  was  then  questioned  further  by  St.  Johns  and 
testified  as  to  the  robbery,  first  of  the  desk  and  then  of 
the  house,  claiming  that  the  deeds  were  abstracted  on  one 
of  those  occasions.  St.  Johns  himself  then  entered  the 
witness-box  and  testified  as  to  his  personal  knowledge  of 
the  first  robbery,  and  the  claim  that  Mr.  Hastings  made, 
on  examining  his  rifled  desk,  that  he  had  lost  some  im- 
portant papers. 

Mr.  Laycock  strenuously  objected  to  hearsay  testimony, 
and  it  was  stricken  out  by  order  of  the  court. 

As  the  prosecution  had  pooh-poohed  the  story  of  the 
robbery,  St.  Johns  determined  to  put  it  beyond  cavil,  and 
24 


370  THE   KUSSIAN   EEFUGEE. 

so  called  several  witnesses  to  the  stand,  and  lastly  sum- 
moned Hiram  to  go  up  and  testify.  Great  astonishment 
was  evinced  in  the  crowded  room  as  the  gaunt  form  of  the 
tall  trapper  appeared  in  the  witness-box,  gazing  down  be- 
nignly from  his  elevated  vantage  ground  upon  the  sea  of 
human  faces  below.  Someone  said  he  resembled  a  tall 
pine-tree  that  had  been  stripped  by  a  storm  and  then 
struck  by  lightning. 

"  You  swear  to  tell  the  whole  truth,  and  nothing  but  the 
truth,"  said  the  clerk,  in  his  dry,  official  tone. 

"You  bet  yer  butes,"  answered  the  witness,  looking 
down  on  him  with  what  was  intended  to  be  a  smile  of  en- 
couragement ;  "  durn  me  ef  I  don't,  pardner,"  he  continued, 
but  utterly  ignoring  the  book  which  the  other  was  impa- 
tiently holding  up  for  him  to  kiss. 

"  Kiss  the  book,  then,"  peremptorily  demanded  the  of- 
ficial. 

Hiram  opened  his  eyes  as  if  amazed  at  such  a  request. 

"Kiss  thet ;  noa,  noa,  stranger,  not  ef  this  critter  knows 
itself.  Ha,  ha  !  why,  pardner,  ef  I  kissed  thet  black  thing 
thar,  Gretchen  'd  not  let  me  kiss  her  agin  in  a  month  o' 
Sundays,  ha,  ha ! " 

Even  the  severe  judge  could  not  resist  the  infection  of 
the  laugh  which  circled  round  at  this  most  unlooked-for 
argument  against  yielding  to  this  stupid  legal  form. 

"My  friend,"  said  the  judge,  kindly,  "that  book  is  the 
Bible,  and  you  are  merely  required  to  touch  it  with  your 
lips  as  a  legal  form." 

"  Haw,  haw  !  An  do  yer  tell  me,  jedge,  thet  black  thing's 
a  Bible?  Durn  me  ef  I  didn't  s'pose  it  wuz  a  plug  o' 
'baccy,  an  mighty  onclean  at  thet."  So  saying,  the  witness 
took  the  volume  from  the  clerk,  and  after  making  a  grimace 
that  set  the  spectators  in  a  roar,  gingerly  pressed  it  to  his 
lips,  and  then  deliberately  proceeded  to  wipe  his  mouth 
with  a  huge  yellow  and  red  bandanna  which  he  produced 


THE    RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  371 

from  one  of  his  capacious  pockets.  Hiram  was  merely 
called  to  identify  a  paper  which  he  found  on  the  road  near 
tLe  Hermitage,  on  the  morning  of  the  robbery.  Return- 
ing home  about  three  o'clock  A.M.  he  had,  when  near  Mr. 
Hastings'  gate,  been  passed  rapidly  by  a  gig  with  two  men 
in  it,  and  immediately  after  found  the  paper  referred  to, 
which  Mr.  Hastings  recognized  as  having  been  in  the  same 
drawer  where  he  had  kept  the  deeds.  Owing  to  Mr.  St. 
Johns'  advice,  the  fact  of  the  robbery  or  robberies  had  not 
been  made  public,  and  were  known  to  but  few,  but  now 
that  the  non-production  of  the  deeds  was  likely  to  militate 
against  the  defendant,  it  was  deemed  necessary  to  show 
what  had  become  of  them,  and  why  they  could  not  be  pro- 
duced. Also  this  was  of  more  importance  since  all  evi- 
dence of  the  registration  of  the  purchase  had  been  de- 
stroyed by  the  burning  of  the  court  house,  in  which  the 
books  of  registration  had  been  kept.  After  the  witnesses 
were  all  called,  a  recess  was  taken  by  the  court,  it  being 
generally  understood  that  on  reassembling,  the  lawyers 
were  to  make  their  pleas,  and  then  if  they  did  not  consume 
too  much  time,  the  case  would  go  to  the  jury  that  night. 

During  the  recess  Elsie  left  her  father's  side,  and  after 
some  little  trouble  succeeded  in  making  her  way  to  Mr. 
St.  Johns'  desk.  He  smiled  as  she  approached,  and  gave 
her  a  seat  beside  him.  They  were  alone  within  the  bar, 
the  other  legal  lights  having  gone  out  for  a  brief  lunch  or 
breathing  spell,  as  the  case  might  be.  St.  Johns  having  to 
prepare  some  brief  notes  had  decided  not  to  leave  the 
court  room.  He  looked  worn  and  anxious  as  if  he  had  not 
slept  much  the  previous  night.  Still  he  spoke  cheerfully 
and  tried  to  cheer  her  spirits,  which  were  depressed 
enough.  Conscientious  lawyers  and  physicians  are  the 
real  vicarious  sufferers.  For  the  time  being  they  identify 
themselves  with  the  client  or  patient,  suffer  as  he  suffers, 
and  rejoice  as  he  rejoices.  Thus  they  are  constantly  living 


372  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

a  dual  nature,  and  the  familiar  "  we  "  in  the  legal  man's  ad- 
dress is  more  of  a  reality  than  many  suppose.  St.  Johns 
was  worried  about  the  case,  and  Elsie  saw  it  at  once. 

"  Now,  Mr.  St.  Johns,  I  have  a  great  favor  to  ask,  and  I 
want  you  to  promise  to  grant  it." 

"  Of  course  I  will  grant  it,  my  dear  child,  if  I  can  prop- 
erly do  so,"  he  answered,  a  little  hesitatingly,  as  if  he  half 
anticipated  the  question. 

"  Thank  you  so  much.  I  would  not  dare  to  ask  it  only 
you  are  such  an  old  friend.  Now,  please  tell  me  candidly, 
is  there  any  chance,  as  things  now  stand,  of  our  winning 
this  case  and  saving  the  property  ?  " 

"  I  will  confess  things  look  a  little  dark  for  us,  but  no 
one  can  tell  what  a  jury  will  do." 

"Do  answer  me  frankly,  Mr.  St.  Johns,  as  a  friend. 
Don't  you  think  the  case  will  go  against  us  ?  I  will  not  tell 
anyone  ;  it  is  between  us  two.  I  have  a  reason  for  the 
question." 

There  was  no  resisting  the  pleading  eyes,  so  after  a  mo- 
mentary pause  he  said  in  a  half  whisper  :  "  With  that  jury 
I'm  afraid  there  is  not  much  chance.  In  spite  of  all  our 
efforts  Ferns  has  succeeded  in  packing  the  jury-box  to  suit 
himself,  as  he  knew  the  men  better  than  we  did.  Of 
course,  we  may  win  the  case,  and  at  any  rate  we  shall  appeal 
if  it  goes  against  us.  But  if  you  can  think  of  anything  in 
the  shape  of  evidence  that  may  help  us,  my  dear  Elsie,  let 
us  have  it,  and  speedily,  for  matters  are  pretty  close  with 
us." 

"Thank  you,  for  speaking  so  frankly,"  she  said,  rising 
to  go. 

"  Mind,  not  a  word  of  this  to  anybody,"  he  warned  her, 
as  she  quietly  glided  away  from  him.  "  Wonder  what  the 
young  woman  is  up  to  this  time  ?  "  he  said  to  himself,  as 
he  watched  her  seek  out  the  "  Giraffe  "  and  pass  out  of  the 
court-room  in  earnest  conversation  with  the  trapper.  He 


THE   RUSSIAN    REFUGEE.  373 

was  half  vexed  with  himself  for  having  been  betrayed  into 
an  admission  of  the  almost  hopelessness  of  the  case,  but 
something  in  her  manner  suggested  that  she  intended  tak- 
ing some  steps  based  upon  his  information,  and  so  he  had 
spoken  more  freely  than  he  purposed,  thinking  possibly 
she  might  know  someone  who  could  cast  light  on  the  dark- 
ness which  at  present  shrouded  the  defence. 

"  You  will  give  him  this  note,  Hiram,  and  bring  me  an 
answer  as  soon  as  possible." 

The  note  which  Elsie  put  into  the  trapper's  willing  hand 
ran  as  follows : 

DEAR  FRIEND  :  You  said  to  me  on  parting  last  time,  "  If  things 
seem  to  be  going  wrong  let  me  know  at  once."  I  cannot  leave  my 
father  alone,  or  I  would  try  and  go  to  you,  but  I  send  this  by  our 
ever  faithful  friend  Hiram.  Yes,  things  are  going,  I  fear,  very 
wrong,  and  the  trial  certainly  is  going  against  us.  If  you  can  sug- 
gest anything  let  me  know  soon,  please,  by  Hiram. 

Your  ever  loving  daughter, 

ELSIE  HASTINGS. 

"  Durn  me  butes,  Elsie  " — Hiram  always  called  her  Elsie 
when  alone  with  her,  and  he  was  much  excited,  having 
known  her  from  babyhood  ;  but  before  others  it  was  always 
"  Miss  Elsie  " — "  ef  I  doan't  fotch  yer  the  word  from  the 
old  one  'fore  court's  out  why  jest  say  Hiram's  an  all-fired 
snake  thet  ain't  good's  his  word  ;  thet's  so."  So  saying 
the  sinewy,  lithe  mountaineer  started  off  at  a  pace  that 
promised  a  speedy  termination  to  his  journey. 

On  the  reopening  of  court  the  senior  counsel  for  the 
plaintiff  began  his  address,  and  a  very  masterly  effort  it 
was,  taking  everything  into  consideration.  He  spoke  with 
an  animus  which  showed  even  more  than  the  ordinary  in- 
terest in  the  success  of  a  client.  It  was  indeed  a  personal 
matter  with  Mr.  Ferns,  for  he  felt  that  he  had  been  griev- 
ously insulted  by  the  defendant  and  meant  that  he  should 
feel  the  full  weight  of  his  vengeance.  He  reviewed  the 


374  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

evidence  on  both  sides  skilfully,  and  was  very  sarcastic  in 
alluding  to  the  non-production  of  the  deed.  In  short,  he 
made  a  very  powerful  plea  for  a  verdict  in  favor  of  his 
client,  and  the  half-suppressed  murmur  of  applause  which 
greeted  his  ears  as  he  sat  down  convinced  him  that  he  had 
made  a  favorable  impression.  Just  as  the  speech  was  clos- 
ing a  note  was  quietly  put  into  Elsie's  hand  by  someone 
behind  her,  and  in  the  friendly  shadow  of  the  post  against 
which  she  was  sitting  she  read  as  follows  : 

MY  DEAR  CHILD  :     Do  not  allow  your  lawyer  to  make  his  address 
to-day.     You  will  hear  from  me  about  eleven  o'clock  to  night. 
Your  loving  friend, 

THE  EXILE. 

There  was  still  plenty  of  time  for  a  moderate  speech,  and 
if  all  were  willing  a  possibility  of  getting  the  case  into  the 
jury's  hands  before  dusk,  but  as  St.  Johns  rose  to  com- 
mence his  address  a  note  reached  him,  which  seemed  to 
change  his  intention,  and  he  announced  that  as  his  speech 
would  probably  be  lengthy,  he  did  not  wish  to  enter  on  it 
at  that  late  hour,  and  proposed  a  postponement  until  the 
following  morning.  This  was  bitterly  opposed  by  Ferns, 
who  justly  feared  that  the  effect  of  his  address  might 
have  somewhat  passed  from  the  minds  of  the  jury  by  the 
morning.  He  claimed  that  there  was  abundance  of  time, 
and  urged  warmly  that  the  trial  should  proceed.  Under 
ordinary  circumstances  St.  Johns  would  have  preferred 
going  on  with  the  trial,  but  he  did  not  think  of  doing  it 
after  Elsie's  note  reached  him,  in  which  she  asked  as  a  spe- 
cial favor  that  he  should  not  speak  that  night.  So  the  judge 
finally  agreed  to  occupy  the  remainder  of  the  afternoon 
with  some  minor  business,  and  the  case  of  Liscomb  vs. 
Hastings  was  postponed  until  the  following  morning. 


CHAPTER  XXXL 

AN   ORDEAL. 

WHEN  Elsie  reached  home  with  her  father  she  saw  a 
handsome  vehicle,  drawn  by  a  stylish-looking  black  horse, 
enter  the  avenue  leading  to  the  house,  and  quickly  recog- 
nized her  cousin  Esmond  as  the  driver.  She  at  once  went 
out  to  greet  him,  and  found,  to  her  surprise,  that  he  had 
come  expressly  to  take  her  out  for  a  good  drive. 

"  We  have  seen  very  little  of  each  other  lately,  Elsie,"  he 
said,  "  and  you  are  looking  quite  pale,  with  this  miserable 
court-business,  and  not  taking  your  usual  out-door  exer- 
cise." 

She  felt  this  to  be  true,  and  as  there  was  three  hours 
before  dinner,  she  decided  to  accept  the  invitation  if  her 
father  was  willing. 

"  Certainly,  my  child  ;  you  ought  to  be  out  more,  but  you 
must  tell  me  when  you  come  back  how  you  influenced  St. 
Johns  so  as  to  have  that  case  postponed  until  to-morrow 
morning.  Why,  he  told  me  he  intended  to  have  the  thing 
before  the  jury  to-night.  But  to-night,  or  to-morrow,  it 
won't  make  much  difference,  I  fear,  in  the  issue  of  the  trial. 
I  can  see  the  jury  have  about  made  up  their  minds.  Why, 
when  that  scoundrelly  lawyer  was  making  sport  of  my  in- 
ability to  produce  the  deed,  did  you  notice  how  they  all 
smiled  ?  " 

Elsie  had  noticed  it,  but  she  said  some  cheering  words, 
and  joined  her  cousin,  who  was  pacing  up  and  down  im- 
patiently on  the  platform. 

'•'My  uncle  will  make  you  as  gloomy  as  himself  if  you  let 


376  THE   RUSSIAN"   REFUGEE. 

this  thing  occupy  your  attention  so,  Elsie,"  he  said,  with 
some  asperity,  as  they  drove  away. 

"  Why,  Harry,  how  can  you  call  father  gloomy.  He  is 
one  of  the  most  cheerful  of  men  generally,  and  if  he  feels  a 
little  sad  just  now,  I  am  sure  it  is  natural  when  people  are 
trying  to  rob  him  of  his  property." 

"He'll  have  plenty  left  if  he  does  lose  this.  He  will  not 
be  a  poor  man  then  by  any  means." 

"Perhaps  not  poor,  but  it  will  cramp  him  dreadfully,  and 
then  to  think  of  losing  our  home  so  ; "  and  here  a  bright 
tear  in  spite  of  herself  rolled  down  her  cheek.  This  seemed 
to  touch  him  keenly,  and  his  petulance  at  once  disappeared 
and  his  tone  became  sympathetic  and  even  tender. 

"Elsie,  I'm  going  to  try  and  help  you  in  this  matter,  for 
I  think  more  of  you  than  I  do  of  anyone  else  in  the  world. 
I  can  never  forget  your  kindness  to  me  as  a  boy.  Your 
memory  has  been  with  me  in  all  my  wanderings,  and  take 
it  all  in  all,  my  cousin,  you  are  the  best  woman  I  ever 
knew." 

She  opened  her  eyes  very  wide  at  this  speech,  and  colored 
with  pleasure,  as  she  answered  :  "  Harry,  I  have  suffered  a 
great  deal  of  anxiety  on  your  account — more  than  I  can  tell 
— and  when  you  went  away  from  home  to  that  far-off  Aus- 
tralia, leaving  us  under  a  cloud  as  you  did,  I  never  forgot 
you  for  a  day  until  you  returned.  And  now  I  do  hope  you 
are  going  to  settle  down  and  become  a  good,  useful  man." 

"  That  is  just  what  I  want  to  do,  and  I  want  you  to  help 
me.  If  you  will  help  me,  I  have  no  fears  of  the  future." 
The  steel  bright  eyes  fixed  themselves  on  her  face  as  if  they 
would  magnetize  her,  and  indeed  she  did  feel  his  strong  in- 
fluence over  her  at  the  moment,  coupled  at  the  same  time 
with  a  feeling  of  distrust  which  she  could  not  explain  to 
herself.  It  was  as  if  she  felt  that  her  cousin  was  playing  a 
part  and  rather  overdoing  it.  "  Elsie,  it  is  no  use  denying 
it,  you  have  been  the  guardian  angel  of  my  life  from  boy- 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  377 

hood  up,  and  bad  as  I  may  have  been  I  should  have  been 
infinitely  worse  if  it  had  not  been  for  your  influence." 

It  was  a  delightful  afternoon,  and  the  late  September  air 
was  crisp  and  tonic,  having  neither  the  lethargic  heat  of 
summer,  nor  yet  the  depressing  cold  of  winter ;  calling 
neither  for  zephyr  raiment  to  do  mere  eye-service,  nor  for 
the  oppressive  garments  which  a  little  later  would  be  in 
active  requisition.  It  was  pleasant  enough  to  allow  these 
two  to  permit  the  steed  to  take  his  own  gait,  and  trot  or 
walk  as  seemed  to  him  most  fitting,  while  they  abandoned 
themselves  to  earnest  conversation.  Elsie  enjoyed  the  trip 
much,  for  the  close  atmosphere  of  the  court-room  had  af- 
fected her  most  unpleasantly,  and  the  air  now  felt  as  the 
breezes  from  Mount  Hygeia  itself.  But  her  cousin's  man- 
ner annoyed  her,  and  she  could  not  resist  the  impression 
that  something  unpleasant  was  going  to  happen. 

"  Elsie,"  he  said,  suddenly  looking  up  after  a  short  pause 
in  the  conversation,  "  I  had  a  particular  object  in  asking 
you  to  ride  this  afternoon.  Can  you  guess  it,  coz  ?  " 

"  Why,  no,  Harry  ;  you  have  such  a  fertile  brain  that  I 
should  need  the  gift  of  second  sight  to  be  able  to  follow 
its  mazy  wanderings." 

He  suddenly  flung  the  reins  over  the  dashboard,  and, 
turning  round,  took  her  right  hand  in  his. 

"  Elsie,  I  want  to  ask  you  to  be  my  wife." 

Absolutely  petrified  with  astonishment  she  sat  immova- 
ble, gazing  at  him,  and  quite  unconscious  that  he  held  her 
hand.  At  length  she  found  words,  and  taking  her  hand 
quickly  away  from  his,  exclaimed  in  tones  which  fairly 
quivered  with  amazement,  "  Harry  Esmond,  what  on  earth 
do  you  mean  ?  " 

Not  at  all  disconcerted,  as  if  her  astonishment  had  been 
at  least  partly  looked  for,  he  answered,  slowly  and  deliber- 
ately :  "Just  what  I  said,  Elsie.  I  ask  you — yes  more,  I 
beg  of  you — to  be  my  wife.  You  are  the  only  being  I  really 


378  THE  RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

love  on  earth.  Marry  me  and  you  can  make  me  what  you 
wilL  Now,  Elsie,  you  surely  love  me  enough  to  marry 
me  ?  You  can  save  me,  and  make  a  new  man  of  me." 

"  Please  don't  say  any  more  on  this  subject,  Harry.  I 
cannot  think  what  can  have  possessed  you  to  talk  in  this 
way.  Why,  remember  we  are  first  cousins,  and  brought  up 
together  like  brother  and  sister.  I  could  as  soon  think  of 
marrying  my  brother." 

He  listened  patiently  to  her  statements,  but  returned 
steadily  to  the  charge,  meeting  all  her  arguments  and  ob- 
jections in  a  manner  which  showed  her  that  he  had  thor- 
oughly prepared  himself  for  the  interview,  and  had  thought 
carefully  over  all  the  points  of  objection  she  would  likely 
bring  forward.  At  last,  somewhat  irritated  by  his  perti- 
nacity, she  exclaimed :  "  Why,  Roland  St.  Johns  proposed 
to  me  last  summer  at  your  suggestion,  and  you  know  you 
promised  to  aid  him  in  his  suit  in  every  way  you  could. 
You  can't  deny  it,  Harry,"  and  she  regarded  him  indig- 
nantly. 

It  was  now  his  turn  to  look  surprised  and  annoyed.  A 
sort  of  smothered  oath  escaped  him  as  he  blurted  out 
angrily  :  "  Who  told  you  that  ?  Has  he  dared  ?  " 

"  Oh,  no,"  she  said,  quickly,  "he  has  not  betrayed  your 
confidence.  I  heard  it  from  another  source,  which  I  know 
is  reliable." 

He  seemed  relieved,  and  his  usual  audacity  returned,  as 
he  answered  with  assumed  carelessness  :  "  Since  you  know 
so  well,  I  may  as  well  confess  that  I  did  support  Eoland's 
suit  with  you,  but  I  did  it  for  a  blind,  as  I  saw  he  was 
madly  in  love  with  you.  You  don't  suppose,  Elsie,  that  I 
ever  seriously  contemplated  your  marrying  that  weak- 
headed  fool  ?  " 

"Harry  Esmond!"  she  said,  indignantly,  and  even  his 
hardihood  quailed  somewhat  before  the  contempt  he  saw 
plainly  speaking  from  her  eyes.  "I  will  not  hear  such 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  379 

language  about  one  whose  intimate  friend  you  have  pre- 
tended to  be  so  long.  This  is  playing  the  traitor  in 
earnest.  Yet,"  she  added,  sarcastically,  "you  seem  to 
think  that  a  traitor  to  his  friends  could  make  a  good  hus- 
band." 

He  flushed  angrily  and  bit  his  nether  lip  until  the 
blood  showed.  Seizing  the  reins  he  drove  furiously  along 
for  a  mile  or  so  without  saying  a  word,  but  conscious  that 
he  had  lost  the  first  move  of  his  game.  At  length  he 
slackened  the  animal  to  a  walk,  and  half  smiling,  turned 
toward  his  cousin,  who  had  not  yet  quite  overcome  her 
natural  resentment  at  his  treachery  toward  her  friend 
Eoland. 

"  Elsie,  forgive  me.  I  am  a  queer  fellow,  I  know,  and 
you  are  an  angel  in  comparison.  I  did  treat  St.  Johns 
shabbily,  and  I  own  it.  But  it  was  my  affection  for  you 
that  impelled  me  to  do  it.  He  pleaded  with  me  so 
strongly  that  I  had  to  agree  to  help  him,  and  then  after- 
ward I  found  out  that  I  loved  you  too  well  to  allow  anyone 
else  to  win  you.  You  will  forgive  me,  won't  you  ?  " 

She  could  not  find  it  in  her  nature  to  be  obdurate  with 
such  pleading — which  of  her  sex  could  ?  and  so  she  an- 
swered, "  It  was  unworthy  of  you,  but  let  us  try  and  for- 
get it,  and  say  no  more  on  this  subject  at  all.  Yes,  prom- 
ise me  that  you  will  never  recur  to  this  matter  again.  You 
must,  if  we  are  to  be  friends."  She  spoke  decidedly,  and 
he  moved  about  uneasily,  flicking  the  flies  off  the  horse's 
back  with  the  whip. 

"  Elsie,  I  cannot  make  such  a  promise  ;  I  must  speak 
about  it.  More  depends  upon  it  than  you  think." 

"  Depends  on  what  ?  will  you  be  good  enough  to  ex- 
plain yourself  ?  "  she  responded,  coldly,  showing  by  her 
whole  manner  how  exceedingly  annoyed  she  was. 

"  I  will  do  so,"  he  said,  almost  nervously,  as  if  doubtful 
of  the  reception  his  statement  might  receive.  "Well, 


380  THE   RUSSIAN   EEFUGEE. 

then,  according  to  all  I  can  learn,  this  Arthur  Liscomb 
will  win  his  suit,  and  your  father  will  lose  the  Hermitage." 
She  made  no  sign,  and  he  proceeded.  "  Now,  I  ani  ac- 
quainted with  the  man,  knew  him  in  Australia,  and  be- 
friended him  there,  having  at  different  times  lent  him 
large  sums  of  money,  which  he  has  never  been  able  to  re- 
turn." A  dreadful  suspicion  crossed  her  mind. 

"Surely,  you,  Harry  Esmond,  did  not " 

"  Oh,  no,"  he  said,  anticipating  her  words  ;  "  how  could 
you  think  so  ?  I  urged  him  all  I  could  to  try  to  effect  a 
settlement,  but  never  to  bring  it  into  court  Trust  me,  I 
sympathize  with  my  uncle  in  this  matter  only  less  than  you 
do.  But  what  I  was  going  to  say  was  this.  Arthur  Lis- 
comb owes  me  so  much  money  that  he  is  practically  in 
my  power,  and  I  can  insist  on  his  dropping  the  suit  at 
once  if  I  choose.  At  least  he  will  do  so  if  I  will  give  him 
a  quit  claim  for  what  he  is  indebted  to  me.  I  cannot  bear 
the  Hermitage  to  pass  out  of  the  family.  My  uncle  is 
advanced  in  life,  it  would  be  almost  death  to  him  to  lose 
his  property.  It  remains  for  you  to  say  the  words,  and  he 
remains  undisputed  proprietor  for  life,  and  nobody  but 
you  and  I  will  be  the  wiser." 

"And  the  price  I  am  to  pay  for  such  a  sacrifice  on  your 
part  ? "  she  demanded,  with  whitened  lips,  and  a  singular 
hardness  of  voice. 

"Be  my  wife,  Elsie,  and  you  will  save  your  father's  hap- 
piness, your  childhood's  home,  and  secure  a  devoted  hus- 
band," he  said,  with  a  pathos  and  tenderness  which  she 
hardly  thought  he  was  capable  of. 

She  sat  still  as  death,  and  then  the  paleness  left  her  face, 
and  the  tightness  relaxed  around  her  heart,  and  the  red 
blood  suffused  her  features  and  coursed  wildly  through  her 
brain.  She  knew  the  Hermitage  was  slowly  but  surely  slip- 
ping from  their  grasp  ;  her  father's  anguished  face  came  be- 
fore her,  as  it  seemed,  mutely  asking  her  for  some  way  of 


THE   RUSSIAN    REFUGEE.  381 

escape — and  then  the  home  of  her  childhood,  and  youth, 
and  womanhood  so  far.  Why,  every  stone  on  it  seemed  to 
grow  in  value,  every  flower  to  take  on  an  added  lustre. 
The  dear  old  home  to  go  into  the  hands  of  strangers ! 
Then  this  way  of  escape.  This  cousin  Harry,  whom  she  cer- 
tainly loved  in  a  way  with  a  sisterly  affection,  she  could 
learn  to  love  him  as  a  wife,  she  supposed,  but  the  thought 
was  strange  yet.  It  did  not  seem  such  a  severe  penalty 
after  all,  although  she  shrunk  from  the  thought  with  such 
horror  when  he  first  broached  the  topic.  But  suddenly  a 
face  came  before  her,  a  face  of  wonderful  repose  and  dig- 
nity and  intelligence,  and  the  deep-brown  eyes  seemed  to 
look  into  her  inmost  being,  and  then  her  whole  nature 
revolted  against  this  plotting,  scheming,  selfish  cousin  who 
by  contrast  seemed  so  low  in  his  instincts  and  purposes. 
Until  she  thought  of  the  face,  the  man  beside  her  seemed 
fairly  lovable,  as  men  go,  but  now  she  felt  how  different 
he  was,  and  how  impossible  what  he  sought.  And  all  at 
once  she  thought  of  the  words,  "If  things  seem  going 
wrong  let  me  know  at  once,"  and  the  answer  to  her  mes- 
sage as  received  from  the  Patriarch  some  three  hours  be- 
fore. 

"  Take  me  home,  Harry,  it  is  turning  cold.  I  will  give 
you  an  answer  to-morrow  morning." 

"  Better  to-night,  Elsie,  so  that  the  trial  need  go  no  far- 
ther. Remember  if  Liscomb  wins,  the  place  will  be  imme- 
diately sold,  as  he  is  heavily  in  debt  to  others  as  well  as  to 
me,  though  I  am  his  pi*incipal  creditor." 

As  they  sped  rapidly  homeward,  he  said :  "  Promise  me, 
not  a  word  to  my  uncle,  Elsie.  You  can  see  the  reason  for 
this !  " 

She  had  refused  to  give  him  an  answer  to  his  proposal 
until  the  morning,  but  willingly  agreed  not  to  mention  the 
matter  to  her  father  while  it  was  pending  ;  "  and  never,"  sho 
added,  "unless  advisable." 


382  THE  EUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

She  proceeded  at  once  to  the  dining-room,  habited  as 
she  was,  rather  than  keep  the  dinner  waiting  by  a  special 
toilet 

"You  look  all  the  better  for  your  ride,  my  dear,  and 
have  more  color  than  you  have  had  for  a  week.  Is  not 
your  cousin  coming  in  to  dinner?  " 

"No,  father,  not  to-day  ;  he  had  some  urgent  business, 
connected  with  the  bank,  to  transact  to-night." 

The  meal  passed  quietly,  and  Mr.  Hastings  retired  early, 
and  advised  his  daughter  to  do  the  same  ;  but  she  said  she 
would  read  awhile  before  retiring.  She  was  sitting  in  the 
library,  trying  to  read,  but  in  reality  thinking  of  the  tangle 
which  had  come  into  the  hitherto  rather  even  threads  of 
her  skein  of  life,  when,  just  as  the  mantle-clock  struck 
eleven,  a  light  tap  came  at  the  window. 

"Ah,  Hiram,"  she  said,  as  she  opened  the  frame  to  greet 
the  trapper,  and  receive  from  him  the  expected  note  from 
the  Exile,  and  at  once  started  back,  as  she  heard  a  mellow 
voice  say  quietly  : 

"Maya  friend  enter  at  this  unseasonable  hour?"  and, 
without  pausing  for  reply,  Adolph  stepped  into  the  room. 

Blushing  with  surprise  and  pleasure,  she  clasped  his 
eagerly  offered  hand,  saying  :  "I  thought  it  was  Hiram,  and 
certainly  never  dreamed  of  so  soon  having  the  pleasure  of 
welcoming  you  to  the  Hermitage.  Father  would  be  so 
pleased,  I  really  think  I  ought  to  tell  him  you  are  here." 

"Not  on  any  account,  as  I  suppose  he  has  retired.  I 
came  to  see  you,"  he  added  naively,  looking  the  satisfaction 
he  felt  at  finding  her  alone.  "  I  bear  a  letter  from  my 
father — "  handing  it  to  her  as  he  spoke.  "  Please  ignore 
my  presence  while  you  read  it." 

She  at  once  opened  it,  and  read  as  follows  : 

DEAKEST  CHILD  :  To-morrow  morning,  there  will  be,  at  my  in- 
stance, another  witness  in  the  court-room.  Whether  he  can  do  your 
cause  any  special  service  at  this  critical  stage,  I  am  unable  to  say, 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  383 

but  think  he  can  at  least  shed  some  light  on  one  or  two  points  which 
at  present  are  obscure.  Ask  Mr.  St.  Johns  to  call  for  the  new  wit- 
ness when  he  is  ready.  Ever  your  friend, 

THE  EXILE. 

"A short  note,  as  you  see  ;  but  a  volume  would  not  ex- 
press the  deep  sympathy  your  aged  friend  feels  foryouand 
your  respected  father  in  this  trying  crisis.  The  evidence,  I 
am  sorry  to  say,  appears  to  be  against  you,  and  is  seemingly 
without  flaw  ;  but  still  you  must  not  lose  heart,  for  I  think 
the  new  witness,  who  is  an  old  acquaintance  of  father's,  can 
do  something  to  establish  your  father's  perfect  integrity  in 
the  matter,  which  in  any  case  will  be  a  satisfaction — not," 
he  added,  as  if  doubtful  whether  he  had  chosen  the  right 
words — "not  that  any  one  doubted  that  for  a  moment  who 
knows  Mr.  Hastings,  but  I  mean  the  public,  who  do  not 
know  him,  and  might  be  prejudiced  by  what  that  evil- 
minded  attorney  says." 

"  Yes,"  she  said,  as  if  to  herself,  "  that  would  be  much  ; 
for  I  would  not  have  my  dear  father's  fair  name  tarnished 
even  by  a  breath  of  a  doubt,  knowing  him  to  be  the  very 
soul  of  honor." 

She  spoke  strongly  and  with  flashing  eyes,  and  head  up- 
right ;  and  the  visitor's  face  glowed  with  admiration,  as  he 
said  :  "  Good  !  and  you  are  his  daughter,  and  your  words  are 
heart- words,  forged  in  the  furnace  of  love." 

They  had  been  standing,  these  two,  and  Elsie  had  been 
totally  vmconscious  of  apparent  discourtesy  to  the  visitor  ; 
but  suddenly  perceiving  her  omission,  and  coloring  with 
vexation,  she  exclaimed :  "  Pardon  me  !  How  thoughtless  I 
am !  Please  forgive  me,  and  sit  down.  Mr.  Adolph,  I  en- 
tirely forgot  you  were  standing." 

"  So  did  I,"  he  rejoined  ;  "  so  it  shows  I  was  not  suffering, 
but  I  dare  not  stay  at  present."  His  eye  suddenly  caught 
sight  of  the  shelves  of  books,  and  he  uttered  an  exclama- 
tion of  joy.  "  May  I  look  at  these,  please,  for  an  instant  ? 


384:  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

What  a  great  privilege  and  happiness  to  have  such  a 
library !  "  He  seemed  fairly  to  gloat  over  the  well-filled 
shelves. 

"  Father  will  be  more  than  pleased  to  lend  you  any  of 
these  volumes  you  choose.  If  you  see  any  one  you  fancy, 
just  point  it  out,  and  I  shall  be  so  glad  to  have  you  take  it 
home  with  you." 

He  did  not  seem  to  hear  her,  but  in  an  instant  turned 
round  without  speaking,  with  a  rapt  expression  of  counte- 
nance such  as  a  devotee  might  wear  gazing  at  a  sacred 
shrine.  At  length  he  spoke  slowly,  his  face  half  smiling 
now  :  "  I  am  afraid  you  will  think  me  foolish  and  fanciful  ; 
but  I  can  hardly  explain  the  peculiar  effect  the  sight  of 
that  library  had  upon  me.  It  seemed  to  take  me  back  into 
a  far  past — into  a  life  under  somewhat  different  conditions  ; 
and  these  books  seemed  like  old  friends  that  I  had  once 
known.  I  heard  your  voice  as  if  coming  from  a  great  dis- 
tance, but  could  not  on  the  instant  break  the  spell  that 
bound  me.  It  is  very  strange.  I  have  had  some  such  im- 
pressions before,  but  never  so  profoundly  as  to-night.  I 
heard  your  kind  offer  about  lending  me  some  of  these 
precious  volumes ;  yet  your  voice  seemed  to  belong  to 
a  totally  different  world.  But,"  he  added,  "  this  must  ap- 
pear very  singular  and  eccentric  to  you.  I  fear  I  am  very 
different  from  your  other  friends — other  men,  I  mean." 

"  I  am  glad  you  are  different,  Mr.  Adolph.  I  am  thankful 
when  I  meet  with  one  who  is  willing  to  appear  frankly,  as 
he  or  she  is,  without  striving  to  be  conventional." 

"But  the  books,  Miss  Hastings" — thanking  her,  with 
his  eyes  as  he  spoke,  for  her  remark,  but  not  otherwise  no- 
ticing it  then.  "What  a  feast  you  offer  me  !  and  I  will  ex- 
press my  gratitude  by  availing  myself  of  your  offer.  May 
I  have  that,  '  Great  Thoughts  of  Great  Thinkers,'  on  this 
upper  shelf  ?  "  She  opened  the  glass  door,  and  put  the 
volume  in  his  hands. 


THE   RUSSIAN    REFUGEE.  385 

"  It  is  a  very  old  book— at  least  fifty  or  sixty  years,  I 
should  judge — but  a  great  favorite  of  my  father's." 

He  was  already  in  the  middle  of  the  volume,  scanning 
its  contents  eagerly. 

"  Miss  Hastings,  I  feel  as  one  awakening  from  a  long, 
dreamy  night,  to  whom  the  memory  of  a  yesterday  comes 
in  flashes  ;  but  this  yesterday  is  not  part  of  my  present 
span  of  years."  He  roused  himself,  as  one  would  from  a 
fast-gathering  lethargy,  and,  closing  the  volume,  held  out 
his  hand.  "  Good-night,  dear  friend ;  I  dare  not  stay 
longer.  This  room  seems  to  have  haunting  memories  in  it 
for  me,  and  voices  from  another  shore.  Why  it  should  be 
thus,  I  know  not.  One  among  the  many  other  mysteries 
of  this  curious  life,  I  suppose." 

"  The  first,  I  hope,  of  many  visits,"  she  said,  as  she  clasped 
his  offered  hand.  "  Thank  you  so  much  for  coming  ;  and 
your  father,  too— thank  him  for  me." 

With  a  deprecating  smile  and  gesture,  he  passed  into 
the  darkness  of  the  night ;  and  the  young  lady  sat  down  for 
a  few  moments  to  think  over  some  matters  which  thronged 
surging  through  the  conduits  of  her  brain,  and  which  had 
been  suggested  by  the  interview. 

"  Strange,"  she  said  at  length,  rising  and  lighting  the 
small  bed-room  lamp  which  lay  on  the  side-table — "  strange 
indeed,  this  other  life,  which  not  merely  follows  this,  but 
possibly  antedates  and  surrounds  it." 

Not  much  sleep  for  her  that  night  —  a  sort  of  fitful 
half-slumber,  but  with  the  curious  phases  of  the  waking 
day  interwoven  in  weird  fashion  with  the  grotesque  fancies 
of  the  night.  The  disheartening  incidents  of  the  trial,  the 
strange  proposal  and  statements  of  her  cousin,  and  then 
the  peculiar  experience  of  Adolph  in  the  library,  all  con- 
tributed their  quota  to  make  a  night  of  disturbed  visions. 
25 


CHAPTEK  XXXII. 
A   FRIEND   IN   NEED. 

THE  third  day  of  the  civil  suit,  Liscomb  versus  Hastings, 
opened  with  a  court-room  crowded  with  eager,  expectant 
people  of  both  sexes.  Though  the  verdict  in  the  public 
mind  was  evidently  made  up,  yet  all  were  eager  and  curi- 
ous to  hear  what  the  counsel  for  the  defence  would  have  to 
present  against  such  overwhelming  and  conclusive  evi- 
dence. When  the  case  was  called,  Mr.  St.  Johns  rose  slowly 
to  his  feet,  as  if  to  begin  his  speech  ;  but,  to  the  utter  aston- 
ishment of  nearly  every  one  present,  including  the  defend- 
ant himself,  said,  hesitatingly  :  • 

"  Your  honor,  I  have  to  request,  as  a  special  act  of  cour- 
tesy, that  you  will  permit  me  to  call  another  witness  for  the 
defence,  before  proceeding  with  my  address." 

"Preposterous  !  "  almost  shouted  the  two  opposing  law- 
yers. "  Your  honor  surely  would  not  for  a  moment  enter- 
tain such  an  extraordinary  and  unprecedented  request," 
said  Laycocks,  angrily. 

"The  counsel  for  the  defence  must  be  aware  that  he  stated 
last  evening  that  all  the  evidence  for  the  defence  was  in  ; 
and  the  admission  of  new  evidence  at  this  late  stage  of 
the  proceedings  would  be,  not  unprecedented,  Mr.  Lay- 
cocks,  but  certainly  very  unusual,"  said  the  judge  :  "never- 
theless, if  counsel  can  satisfy  the  court  that  the  interests  of 
justice  would  undoubtedly  be  subserved  by  such  new  evi- 
dence, why,  in  that  case,  the  innovation  may  be  permitted. 
Of  course,  Mr.  Laycocks,  you  will  have  equal  liberty  to  offer 


THE  EUSSIAN   EEFUGEE.  387 

rebuttal  of  such  testimony,  and  to  extend  your  address  so 
as  to  cover  the  new  ground." 

Anthony  Ferns,  who  had  not  been  present  when  court 
opened,  now  entered,  and,  on  being  informed  of  the  new 
move  on  the  part  of  the  defence,  seemed  almost  frantic.  Ad- 
dressing the  court,  he  denounced  the  whole  proceeding  in 
no  measured  terms — stigmatizing  it  as  audacious,  mean,  dis- 
honorable, and  utterly  contemptible,  and  urged  vehemently 
that  the  court  emphatically  put  the  seal  of  disapprobation 
upon  such  dirty,  underhand  proceedings,  by  peremptorily 
refusing  the  request,  and  ordering  the  case  to  be  continued 
in  the  usual  manner  followed  in  such  courts. 

"What  is  the  nature  of  the  evidence  you  propose,  to 
bring  before  the  jury,  at  this  late  hour,  Mr.  St.  Johns?" 
said  the  judge. 

"It  is  utterly  impossible,  your  honor,  for  me  to  answer 
that  question  without  imperilling  the  very  interests  which 
we  hope  the  new  evidence  will  subserve.  It  is  rather 
strange,"  he  added,  sarcastically,  "  that  the  prosecution 
should  be  so  afraid  of  a  little  new  evidence,  when  only 
yesterday  they  loftily  declared  that  they  stood  upon  the 
granite,  and  challenged  the  world  to  disprove  their  claim." 

"We  adhere  to  the  statement,  your  honor,  quoted  by 
the  counsellor ;  but,  although  having  no  fear  of  the  new 
witness,  whoever  he  may  be,  yet  we  do  oppose  this  most 
unlegal-like  proceeding,  and  the  establishment  of  such  a 
precedent  in  our  courts,  as  to  admit  fresh  testimony  after 
the  counsel  had  began  pleading." 

"  Do  you  still  press  your  point,  Mr.  St.  Johns  ? "  de- 
manded the  court. 

"  Most  certainly  I  do,  your  honor,  and  if  not  granted 
shall  make  such  refusal  the  basis  for  an  appeal  to  a  higher 
court,"  returned  the  counsel,  who,  although  when  Elsie  had 
spoken  at  first  of  the  new  witness,  he  had  declared  it  could 
not  be  done,  and  only  yielded  to  her  eager  solicitations, 


388  THE   RUSSIAN"   REFUGEE. 

yet  now  excited  by  opposition  was  thoroughly  aroused,  and 
determined  to  carry  his  point  at  all  hazards — not  that  he 
supposed  the  additional  evidence  would  amount  to  any- 
thing, but  he  meant  to  gratify  Elsie  and  annoy  Ferns,  whom 
he  cordially  detested,  at  one  and  the  same  time.  So,  after 
a  little  more  wrangling,  the  prosecution  suddenly  withdrew 
then:  opposition,  and  the  judge  ordered  the  defence  to 
bring  on  the  new  evidence. 

"I'm  half-ashamed  of  this  blind  business,  which  probably 
will  result  in  nothing  of  any  importance,"  whispered  St. 
Johns  to  his  colleague  ;  "  but  it's  something  to  make  Ferns 
mad,  anyhow ; "  then  in  a  loud  voice,  "  The  new  witness  for 
the  defence  will  please  to  take  the  stand." 

A  slight  movement  on  the  left  of  the  bar,  caused  by  two 
or  three  persons  standing  up,  a  figure  moving  with  stately 
steps  toward  the  witness-box,  though  a  couple  of  lawyers 
who  had  risen  to  change  their  places  intercepted  for  a  mo- 
ment the  view,  then  Elsie  almost  screamed  with  astonish- 
ment as  she  saw  the  grave,  reverend  face  of  the  Exile  look- 
ing at  her  from  the  witness-stand.  The  venerable  form, 
clad  in  a  large  blue  fur-trimmed  cloak  of  military  pattern, 
appeared  to  singular  advantage  in  that  elevated  position, 
while  the  countenance,  framed  in  its  wealth  of  snowy  white 
hair  and  beard,  had  a  dignity  and  repose  which  at  once  in- 
spired both  respect  and  confidence.  An  aged  man — yes, 
probably  much  beyond  the  years  ordinarily  attained  even 
by  the  elders  of  the  race,  but  with  a  firmness  and  erectness 
of  bearing  and  a  freshness  of  complexion  which  showed 
that  his  natural  force  was  not  seriously  abated.  Taking 
the  book  tendered  by  the  clerk,  the  new  witness  touched  it 
with  his  lips,  and  then  thanking  the  judge  for  the  courtesy 
of  an  offered  chair,  seated  himself,  and  turned  toward  Mr. 
St.  Johns,  who  had  risen  for  the  purpose  of  questioning 
him. 

"  What  is  your  name,  my  friend  ?  "  inquired  the  lawyer, 


THE   RUSSIAN    REFUGEE.  389 

respectfully,  satisfied  that  although  his  evidence  might  not 
be  of  much  real  value,  yet  the  man  before  him  was  no  or- 
dinary witness.  The  witness  hesitated  an  instant,  while  the 
court-room  was  hushed  into  a  perfect  stillness,  and  then  in 
a  clear,  though  slightly  tremulous  voice,  answered : 

"  Nicholas  Petrovitch." 

Curiously  people  scanned  him  from  every  direction,  as 
with  the  exception  of  perhaps  three  no  one  had  seen  him 
before — a  stranger,  and  what  was  he  doing  in  that  witness 
box?  Evidently,  somebody  or  something  was  at  fault. 
Just  as  St.  Johns  had  risen,  a  slip  of  note-paper  with  a  few 
words  hurriedly  written  in  pencil  was  put  in  his  hand,  and 
opening  it  his  eye  caught  the  words  :  "  Ask  the  witness  if 
he  knew  Nicholas  Kuprianoff,  and  make  the  most  of  his 
answer."  This  was  all,  and  the  only  clue  he  had,  as  to  what 
the  witness  might  possibly  be  able  to  testify  to,  so  he  now 
at  once  put  the  query  : 

"Did  you  know  Nicholas  Kuprianoff? " 

"I  did,"  promptly  returned  the  witness. 

"  Were  you  familiar  with  his  writing  ?  "Would  you  know 
his  signature  if  you  saw  it  ? "  asked  the  counsel,  a  single 
ray  of  light  beginning  to  penetrate  the  darkness. 

"  Yes,"  responded  the  venerable  man,  with  emphasis. 

"  Your  honor,  we  demand  that  this  deed,  on  which  the 
prosecution  base  their  claim,  be  submitted  to  the  witness." 

The  judge  looked  at  the  opposing  counsel  interrogatively  ; 
but,  ere  he  could  speak,  Ferns  promptly  responded  :  "  Cer- 
tainly, your  honor,  we  are  willing,  although  we  protest 
against  this  whole  proceeding  as  extremely  irregular,  and 
tending  uselessly  to  protract  the  trial — quite  willing  to  sub- 
mit the  deed  to  the  inspection  of  a  thousand  witnesses,  if 
necessary,  without  the  slightest  fear  of  the  result,"  at  the 
same  time  passing  the  document  to  St.  Johns. 

That  gentleman,  after  quickly  scanning  it,  handed  it  to 
the  witness,  who  eagerly,  as  it  seemed  to  the  spectators,  took 


390  THE   EUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

it  from  the  counsel,  and  at  once  began  to  read  it.  Pausing 
for  a  moment  to  allow  the  witness  time  to  examine  the  in- 
strument, the  lawyer  proceeded  : 

"Mr.  Petrovitch,  will  you  carefully  look  at  the  principal 
signature  there,  written  Nicholas  Kuprianoff,  and  say  if  it 
is  really  the  signature  of  your  friend." 

The  witness  scrutinized  it,  as  if  he  was  minutely  examin- 
ing each  letter,  while  Elsie  felt  her  head  swim  ;  and  the  in- 
terest in  the  room  grew  almost  to  fever  heat.  At  length, 
the  voice  of  the  witness  broke  the  suspense,  and  all  felt 
that  he  was  speaking  his  profound  conviction. 

"It  is  undoubtedly  the  signature  of  Nicholas  Kuprianoff." 

It  came  reluctantly  ;  but  the  words,  though  low,  were 
fearfully  distinct  to  one  at  least,  and  struck  like  a  rising  knell 
upon  her  heart.  St.  Johns  sat  down  suddenly,  but  immedi- 
ately rose  again  as  he  met  the  triumphant  glance  of  Anthony 
Ferns,  and  heard  him  say,  in  a  low,  mocking  tone  :  "Many 
thanks,  St.  Johns,  for  helping  us  along." 

In  sheer  desperation,  the  counsel  asked  again  :  "  Did  you 
ever  see  that  deed  before  ?  " 

"Yes." 

"When?" 

"Fifty-three  years  ago,  when  it  was  executed,"  came 
promptly. 

Like  the  drowning  man  with  the  straw,  the  lawyer 
pushed  on,  asking  almost  at  random,  and  yet  half-afraid  at 
any  moment  of  getting  out  of  the  frying-pan  into  the  fire. 

"Who  was  present  besides  yourself? " 

"I  object,"  said  Ferns — "but  no,  go  on  ;  you  will  only 
hang  yourself." 

The  witness  paused,  as  if  thinking. 

"The  two  witnesses  whose  names  are  appended  here, 
and  the  gentleman  who  bought  the  property." 

"And  his  name  was?"  And  the  voice  of  the  speaker 
trembled  as  he  spoke. 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  391 

The  witness  answered,  in  a  voice  which  was  heard  every- 
where, "  Thomas  "Whitely." 

A  low  hum  of  astonishment  went  through  the  room,  and 
the  opposing  counsel  began  to  show  signs  of  uneasiness. 

"  Then  I  understand  you  to  say  that  on  the  occasion  re- 
ferred to,  there  were  present  yourself,  the  two  witnesses 
whose  names  are  written  there,  Elias  Stroub  and  George 
Gay  ling,  Thomas  Whitely  and  Nicholas  Kuprianoff  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  the  witness. 

"  You  swear  that  only  these  persons  were  present,  and  no 
others  ?  "  urged  the  counsel,  with  a  barely  concealed  gleam 
of  exultation  in  his  eye. 

"I  do." 

"  Once  more.  Is  that  the  deed,  the  very  instrument, 
in  all  its  details,  as  you  saw  it  on  that  occasion  ?  " 

"  This  is  really  growing  to  be  farcical,  your  honor,"  said 
Mr.  Laycocks,  rising  hastily.  "  As  if  any  mere  witness  could 
be  supposed  to  be  able  to  answer  such  a  question  truth- 
fully, after  the  lapse  of  over  fifty  years  !  I  hope  your  honor 
will  see  the  necessity  of  closing  this  comedy,  before  it  de- 
generates into  a  farce." 

"  The  counsel  will  please  confine  himself  to  essentials, 
and  only  put  questions  directly  bearing  on  the  case,"  said 
the  judge. 

"  I  will,  your  honor  ;  and  this  is  one  of  them.  I  repeat 
my  question,  '  Is  this  deed  the  same  in  all  respects  as  the 
one  you  saw  executed  ?  '  " 

"  No,"  said  the  witness,  "  it  is  not  exactly  the  same." 

"In  what  respects  does  it  differ  from  the  instrument 
you  saw  executed?  " 

"It  is  the  same  instrument,  with  the  exception  of  the 
date  and  the  name  of  the  purchaser  of  the  estate,"  replied 
the  old  man,  very  slowly,  as  if  he  was  becoming  weary. 

"  The  date  is  one  year  earlier,  exactly,  and  I  find  here  the 
name  of  Thomas  Liscomb,  instead  of  Thomas  Whitely, 


392  THE  EUSSIAN   KEFUGEE. 

•which  was  the  original.  In  short,  this  is  the  original  deed 
with  the  exception  of  the  date  of  the  year,  and  the  word 
Liscomb  which  are — "  and  here  the  glistening  eyes  were 
turned  full  upon  the  plaintiff,  who  sat  near,  and  his  words 
sounded  with  terrible  distinctness  in  the  hush  of  the  wait- 
ing crowd — "  are  forgeries ." 

It  would  be  impossible  to  describe  the  sensation  pro- 
duced by  these  simple  words.  The  more  impulsive  of  the 
audience  rose  to  their  feet,  and  for  a  moment  or  two  every- 
thing was  confusion.  Elsie,  whose  nerves  had  been  strung 
to  the  highest  pitch,  and  suffering  too  from  want  of  sleep, 
suddenly  exclaimed  :  "Oh,  father,"  and  fell  back  pale  and 
speechless.  Mr.  Hastings  called  on  someone  near  to  open 
the  window  close  to  them  ;  and  those  around,  seeing  that  a 
lady  had  fainted,  hastened  to  move  so  that  she  could  be 
carried  out  of  doors  ;  but  she  almost  immediately  revived 
and  insisted  on  keeping  her  seat.  "  Father,  I  am  ashamed 
of  myself.  I  never  fainted  before,  did  I  ?  " 

"  No,  my  dear,  you  are  not  of  the  fainting  kind  "  he  an- 
swered ;  "but  hush  !  St.  Johns  is  beginning  again." 

During  the  little  commotion  caused  by  his  words,  the 
grand  old  man  had  sat  in  the  witness  box,  like  a  very  Jove 
come  down  to  calm  the  tempestuous  passions  of  mortals, 
and  apparently  rather  surprised  at  the  effect  he  had  pro- 
duced. The  deed  had  been  held  by  the  witness  since  be- 
ing handed  to  him  by  the  counsel,  and  it  had  been  noticed 
that  from  time  to  time  he  had  been  carefully  examining  cer- 
tain parts  of  it  with  what  appeared  to  be  a  magnifying 
glass,  which  he  had  taken  from  his  pocket.  The  counsel 
for  the  prosecution  had  demanded  the  return  of  the  instru- 
ment, after  the  witness  had  first  examined  it,  but  he  so 
strenuously  insisted  on  retaining  it  during  his  stay  in  the 
witness  box  that  the  judge  had  granted  his  desire. 

"  You  swear  that  to  your  own  personal  knowledge  and 
belief  that  is  the  original  deed  executed  in  favor  of  Thomas 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  393 

Whitely  by  Nicholas  Kuprianoff,  that  the  signatures  there- 
on inscribed  are  genuine  and  were  written  under  your 
own  personal  observation.  But  you  further  swear  that  the 
words,  'Thomas  Whitely/  wheresoever  appearing  in  the 
document,  have  been  erased,  and  the  words  '  Thomas  Lis- 
conib '  inserted  instead  ;  and  also  that  the  year  date  has 
been  altered  in  a  similar  way?" 

"I  do,"  replied  the  witness,  "with  the  exception  of  the 
word  Thomas,  which  remains  the  same  as  it  appeared 
originally,  and  has  not,  so  far  as  I  can  detect,  been  med- 
dled with." 

"Your  honor,  that  is  all  we  wish  to  ask  of  this  witness 
at  present,  but  the  court  can  easily  see  that,  as  the  evidence 
just  given  has  changed  the  aspect  of  the  case  considerably, 
it  may  be  necessary  to  ask  further  testimony  from  this  wit- 
ness, and  also  to  call  on  others  to  strengthen  his  position." 

"  I  am  to  consider  the  witness  so  called,  is  then  at  my 
disposal/'  said  Anthony  Ferns,  rising,  with  a  gleam  of 
savage  intention  in  his  countenance,  as  if  he  would  devour 
the  aged  man  on  the  stand,  as  a  wolf  might  rend  a  sheep. 
Indeed,  so  vindictive  did  the  senior  counsel  for  the  plain- 
tiff look,  that  the  Patriarch  seemed  to  rather  shrink  from 
the  encounter,  and  turning  toward  the  judge  said,  wearily, 
and  in  a  tone  that  had  in  it  more  of  the  tremor  of  age  than 
noticed  before. 

"  May  it  please  the  court,  I  am  much  fatigued,  for  this 
has  been  a  severe  tax  on  my  endurance." 

The  pleading  look  and  truly  dignified  and  venerable  as- 
pect of  the  speaker  seemed  to  make  a  marked  impression, 
which  the  judge  evidently  shared,  for  he  at  once  said : 
"  You  shall  not  be  harassed,  my  friend.  Mr.  Ferns,  please 
make  your  questioning  as  brief  and  to  the  point  as  possi- 
ble." 

The  lawyer  glared  angrily  at  the  speaker,  but  his  wrath 
was  impotent,  as  he  well  knew,  with  Judge  Temple. 


394  THE  EUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

"It  is  indeed  hard  if  I  am  to  be  limited  in  my  rights 
as  counsel  for  the  prosecution,  when  such  unprecedented 
privileges  have  been  freely  conceded  to  the  opposition. 
Gentlemen  of  the  jury,  I  hope  you  will  notice  and  remem- 
ber the  barefaced  imposition  which  we  have  been  forced 
to  yield  to  this  morning.  The  defence  in  their  dire  ex- 
tremity, in  their  death-struggle  to  maintain  their  hold  on 
ill-gotten  possessions  which  are  fast  slipping  from  their 
iniquitous  grasp  have,  from  nobody  knows  where,  suborned 
this  old  man  to  come  here  and  perjure  himself  in  their 
interests." 

Here  the  judge  peremptorily  rapped  the  desk  and  said  : 
"  If  the  counsel  is  making  his  final  address  to  the  jury,  and 
does  not  wish  to  ask  the  witness  any  questions,  he  may 
retire." 

"I  beg  pardon,  your  honor,  but  the  iniquity  of  this 
whole  proceeding  is  so  heinous  and  transparent,  that  my 
natural  indignation  prevailed."  Then  turning  to  the  witness. 
"  You  claim  that  you  have  seen  that  deed  before,  and  were 
present  at  the  making  and  signing  of  it  ?" 

"  Yes,"  replied  the  witness,  simply,  "  I  do." 

"  Kemember  you  are  on  your  oath.  Do  you  pretend  to 
swear  that  after  fifty  years  you  knowthat  to  be  the  exact 
deed  you  say  you  saw  ?  How  do  you  know  that  this  is  not 
another  deed  like  it,  executed  and  signed  a  year  later,  as 
you  say  the  date  shows  ?  " 

The  old  man  did  not  seem  to  notice  the  imperious  man- 
ner of  the  other,  but,  looking  at  his  questioner  with  a  half- 
smile  on  his  time-wise  face,  replied,  "  I  know  that  the  word 
Liscomb,  wherever  it  appears  in  this  deed,  and  the  date  of 
the  year  are  not  as  originally  written,  and  not  in  the  hand- 
writing of  Nicholas  Kuprianoff." 

"  You  are  so  old  that  you  have  lost  your  memory  and 
are  in  your  dotage,  old  man,"  said  the  lawyer,  impatiently. 
"  Please  tell  the  jury  how  you  know  these  wonderful  things," 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  395 

lie  said  with  a  sneer,  but  with  a  manifest  uneasiness  which 
could  not  be  concealed. 

The  aged  witness's  eyes  flashed,  and  he  drew  himself  up 
with  dignity,  saying,  "  I  would  not  answer  you,  you  foul- 
mouthed  pettifogger,  only  that  the  interests  of  those  infi- 
nitely superior  to  yourself  are  at  stake."  This  was  uttered 
in  a  low  tone,  yet  so  distinctly  as  to  be  heard  all  over  the 
room.  The  witness  then  went  on  :  "  Nicholas  Kuprianoff, 
as  his  custom  was,  in  filling  up  and  signing  this  deed,  first 
wrote  the  words  in  with  a  colorless  solution,  which,  sinking 
into  the  parchment,  left  no  sign,  but  which,  once  written, 
could  never  be  erased ;  then  he  wrote  the  same  words  with 
common  ink  over." 

"  Stop  !  "  thundered  the  counsel,  "  you  are  not  asked  to 
give  your  fancies  here.  Just  answer  my  question,  Yes  or 
No." 

"  Mr.  Ferns,  the  witness  is  answering  your  question  as 
to  how  he  knows  this  to  be  the  same  deed.  Proceed,  Mr. 
Petrovitch. " 

Ferns'  cheek  paled  and  reddened  by  turns,  and  the  in- 
terest of  everyone  present  was,  if  possible,  intensified.  The 
witness  continued,  although  with  visible  effort,  recapitu- 
lating in  part  what  he  had  said  about  the  writing,  as  if 
afraid  he  might  be  misunderstood,  and  then  quietly  saying, 
"  I  am  tired,  and  must  rest  for  a  few  moments  to  collect  my 
thoughts,"  leaned  back  in  his  chair  and  closed  his  eyes. 

At  that  moment  Elsie  saw  a  tall,  manly  figure  making  his 
way  toward  the  witness-box  ;  the  form  appeared  familiar,  but 
the  face  was  away  from  her  ;  but  a  feeling  of  pleasure  thrilled 
her  whole  being  as,  presently,  she  saw  Adolph  bending  ten- 
derly over  his  father  and  grasping  his  hand.  Her  first 
impulse  had  been  to  go  to  the  Patriarch  herself ;  but  on 
second  thought  she  checked  the  impulse,  remembering  in 
time  that  it  would  not  probably  be  his  desire  to  be  noticed 
by  her,  there.  Adolph  seemed  to  be  urging  his  father  to 


396  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

retire  for  a  while  and  rest,  but  the  old  man  declined,  say- 
ing, so  as  to  be  heard  by  several,  "No,  no  ;  I  would  rather 
finish  this  at  once  than  return  again." 

Mr.  St.  Johns  was  looking  very  cheerful,  and  feeling  so, 
too,  for  the  events  of  the  last  two  hours  had  changed  tho 
entire  atmosphere  of  the  trial  to  him.  He  was  busy  writ- 
ing, and  started  when  an  abrupt  whisper  reached  his  ear. 
Looking  up,  he  saw  a  neat,  trim-looking  gentleman,  of  me- 
dium height  and  a  very  professional  air,  standing  beside 
him  and  regarding  him  earnestly.  The  conversation  which 
followed  was  only  heard  by  themselves,  but  it  was  noticed 
when  it  ceased  that  the  professional-looking  person  went 
over  to  that  part  of  the  room  where  the  venerable-looking 
Arthur  Liscomb  was  and  sat  down  near  him. 

After  resting  a  few  moments,  the  witness  signified  his 
readiness  to  continue  his  evidence.  Ferns,  who  had  been 
engaged  in  close  conversation  with  his  partner,  now  rose, 
and  at  once  addressing  the  witness,  said  :  "  You  swore,  a 
while  back,  that  you  were  present  when  that  instrument 
was  prepared  and  signed  ;  if  so,  where  is  your  proof  of  your 
presence  on  that  occasion,  since  all  the  parties  subscribing 
to  the  deed,  and  whose  names  appear  there,  have  been  dead 
nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century?  How  is  it,"  he  continued, 
triumphantly,  as  the  witness  seemed  unwilling  to  answer 
promptly,  "that  if  you  were  present  and  saw  all  these  won- 
derful things,  of  special  solutions,  etc.,  that  your  name  does 
not  appear  on  that  parchment  as  a  witness  ?  Answer  me 
that,  old  man  !  " 

The  witness  certainly  did  seem  to  shrink  from  answering, 
but  finally,  as  if  after  an  internal  struggle  with  himself,  an- 
swered, decisively,  in  a  low  tone,  "  My  name  is  on  the  deed." 

"  What !  "  ejaculated  the  counsel,  in  a  tone  that  seemed 
to  shake  the  building,  "  do  you  mean  to  tell  the  court  that 
your  name  is  on  that  instrument?  Please  point  it  out — 
some  more  of  your  precious  solutions,  I  suppose." 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  397 

"  My  name,"  was  the  answer,  "  is  on  tins  instrument  in 
black  and  white." 

Amazement  sat  on  every  countenance,  and  the  majority 
of  those  present  felt  that  the  poor  old  gentleman  was  in  his 
dotage,  and  ought  not  to  be  badgered  in  the  witness-box 
any  longer.  This  evidently  was  Counsellor  Ferns'  opinion, 
for,  turning  to  the  judge,  he  exclaimed  in  a  disgusted  tone  : 
"  It  is  too  bad  to  waste  the  time  of  the  court  by  bringing 
before  it  this  doting  witness ;  yet,  if  your  honor  is  content 
to  listen  to  such  senile  ravings  and  drivelling  nonsense,  I 
will  ask  him  a  few  more  questions,  just  to  sho\v  the  condi- 
tion of  the  old  man's  mind." 

"  How  dare  he  talk  that  way  !  "  whispered  Elsie  to  her 
father,  indignantly.  "  I  wonder  the  judge  allows  it" 

"I  am  afraid  the  old  gentleman  is  wandering  somewhat 
in  his  mind,  Elsie,"  answered  Mr.  Hastings,  rather  sorrow- 
fully. 

"  You  say  your  name  is  on  that  deed  in  black  and  white  ; 
then,  of  course,  you  have  risen  from  the  grave.  Will  you 
please  inform  the  court  and  jury,  and  these  anxious  legal 
gentlemen  here,  which  of  the  four  dead  men  whose  names 
are  affixed  to  that  deed  you  are  ;  and  also  why,  in  coming 
back  to  '  revisit  the  glimpses  of  the  moon, 'you  have  chosen 
to  adopt  the  name  of  Nicholas  Petrovitch  ?  "  said  the  coun- 
sel, banteringly,  his  anxiety  all  gone  and  now  feeling  com- 
paratively sure  of  his  ground. 

"  I  am  returned  from  the  tomb  to  confront  a  vile  conspir- 
acy and  foil  the  conspirators,"  returned  the  aged  witness, 
solemnly. 

So  dignified,  grave,  and  serious  was  the  demeanor  of  the 
speaker,  coupled  with  his  advanced  age,  that  a  sort  of  gla- 
mour of  superstition  seemed  to  fall  upon  the  audience  as 
he  spoke,  and  several  faces  visibly  paled. 

"I  must  really  congratulate  my  learned  brothers  here  on 
their  spiritualistic  or  necromantic  power,  whichever  it  may 


398  THE   EUSSIAK   REFUGEE. 

be,  in  restoring  the  dead  to  life,"  said  the  lawyer,  bowing  to 
the  counsel  for  the  defence,  with  an  ironical  smile.  Then, 
turning  to  the  witness,  "  A  truce  to  this  nonsense,  my  old 
friend.  Which  of  these  dead  men  are  you  ?  What  do  you  say 
is  your  real  name  ?  " 

The  Patriarch  rose  from  his  chair,  and  stepping  forward 
in  the  hush  of  that  croAvded  court-room,  in  a  clear  voice, 
which  came  to  the  ear  like  the  trumpet-tones  of  fate,  said, 
"  I  am  Nicholas  Kuprian off  himself." 

For  a  full  minute  ah1  sat  in  a  sort  of  stupefied  wonder- 
ment, gazing  at  the  ancient  man,  who  continued  standing, 
then  a  reaction  ensued,  and  a  great  shout  went  up  from  the 
assembled  crowd.  It  was  a  shout  of  very  mixed  and  va- 
ried nature — astonishment,  delight,  ridicule,  incredulity,  all 
found  voice  in  that  cry,  and  for  some  moments  business  was 
necessarily  suspended.  Then,  with  a  loud,  mocking  laugh, 
Ferns,  who,  at  first,  on  hearing  the  witness'  extraordinary 
announcement,  had  dropped  into  his  chair  as  if  shot,  and 
as  one  closely  observing  him  said,  "  as  pale  as  a  ghost,"  rose 
to  his  feet,  saying  : 

"  A  patriarch,  indeed,  to  whom  Methuselah  is  an  infant ! 
Really,  my  ancient  sir,  you  must  be  pretty  well  flavored  with 
antiquity.  Will  your  antiquated  reverence  please  to  inform 
the  court  how  old  you  were  when  you  claim  to  have  executed 
that  deed  ?  " 

"  I  decline  to  answer,"  said  the  witness,  apparently  some- 
what annoyed  by  the  tone  of  the  other. 

"  Your  honor,  we  can  prove  that  at  the  period  referred 
to  Nicholas  Kuprianoff  was,  in  popular  estimation,  an  old 
man,  and  was  called  such  by  his  associates,  so  that,  in  the 
very  nature  of  things,  he  cannot  be  living  at  present  on  the 
earth,  unless  the  days  of  miracles  have  returned." 

"  The  question  is  reasonable.  The  witness  will  please 
answer,"  said  the  judge,  gently  looking  toward  the  white- 
haired  deponent. 


THE   RUSSIAN    REFUGEE.  399 

"  I  was  at  that  time  sixty-seven  years  of  age,"  answered 
the  witness,  quietly. 

"  Then,  in  the  Devil's  name,  how  old  do  you  call  yourself 
now  ?  "  blurted  out  the  counsel,  rudely. 

There  was  no  mistaking  the  words  as  they  fell  from  the 
lips  of  the  aged  speaker  on  the  overstrained  attention  of 
the  hearers  :  "  One  hundred  and  twenty  years,  on  my  last 
birthday." 

A  derisive  laugh  went  up  from  the  audience,  but  only 
from  the  thoughtless  ones.  A  minority  present  felt  awed 
and  impressed  by  the  manner  and  words  of  this  venerable 
man,  who  certainly  bore  the  marks  of  great  age,  however 
improbable  or  impossible  might  his  own  statement  be  in 
reference  to  it.  There  was  a  whispered  consultation  be- 
tween the  lawyers  of  the  respective  sides,  and  then  Mr. 
Laycocks  rose. 

"  I  suggest,  your  honor,  that  the  testimony  of  this  last 
witness  be  stricken  from  the  record,  as  his  mental  condition 
certainly  precludes  his  evidence  being  accepted." 

"By  no  means,"  exclaimed  the  senior  counsel  on  the 
other  side,  rising  hastily.  "  Although  we  admit  that,  on  the 
surface,  things  look  a  little  improbable,  yet,  considering  that 
the  preceding  testimony  of  the  witness  has  been  given  in 
a  singularly  clear  and  lucid  manner,  and  that,  although 
rarely,  yet  men  have  attained  to  as  great  an  age,  and  even 
greater  than  that  claimed  by  this  witness— Thomas  Parr,  for 
instance,  who,  on  good  evidence,  reached  the  age  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty  years,  and  several  others,  even  in  our  own 
century,  who  have  attained  ages  long  past  the  hundred — we 
insist  on  the  evidence  of  this  witness  being  received,  and 
are  willing  to  submit  it  to  any  test  deemed  necessary  by  the 
court." 

"  It  is  for  the  plaintiff  to  rebut  any  testimony  which  has 
been  submitted  this  morning,  or  to  disprove  the  statements 
of  the  witness  regarding  his  identity,"  said  the  judge. 


400  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

"Do  you  wish  to  examine  the  witness  any  further  at 
present,  Mr.  Ferns  ?  "  asked  St.  Johns. 

"No  !  "  shortly  returned  that  gentleman. 

"  Then  I  will  ask  a  question  or  two.  Mr.  Witness,  why 
did  you  give  your  name  as  Nicholas  Petrovitch,  if  it  was 
really  Nicholas  Kuprianoff  ?  "  said  St.  Johns.  ' 

"Because  my  father's  name  was  Peter,  and  Petrovitch 
means  the  son  of  Peter  in  the  Russian  language ;  and  by 
that  name  I  was  called  until  I  came  to  this  country,  when 
I  changed  it  to  Kuprianoff  at  the  request  of  a  relative  who 
left  me  some  property,  and  also  for  certain  political  reasons, 
which  it  is  not  necessary  here  to  disclose." 

"Very  good.  Now,  you  said  that  the  solution  used  by 
you  in  writing  primarily  the  names  on  that  deed  enabled 
you  to  detect  the  forgery.  Will  you  please  explain  ?  " 

"It  is  very  simple.  I  am  a  chemist,  and  through  my 
technical  knowledge  in  this  branch  was  able  to  make  a 
solution  which,  colorless  in  itself,  yet  in  contact  with  an- 
imal or  vegetable  fibre,  and  exposed  to  the  sunlight  for  a 
short  time,  gives  a  pale-gray  tint,  so  faint,  however,  that  it 
may  require  a  strong  magnifying  glass,  such  as  I  hold  in 
my  hand,  to  detect.  It  incorporates  itself  into  the  texture 
of  parchment,  forming  chemical  union  with  it,  and  is  abso- 
lutely indestructible.  The  common  ink  can  be  easily  re- 
moved over  such  writing,  but  the  words  written  in  this 
solution  remain  as  long  as  the  material  on  which  it  is 
written  exists.  Take  this  magnifier  and  judge  for  your- 
self." 

St.  Johns  took  the  deed  and  eye-glass  from  the  speaker, 
and  proceeded  with  considerable  curiosity  to  examine  the 
words  characterized  as  forged  by  the  aged  witness. 

"  Give  me  that  instrument — that  is  our  property,  and  is 
too  valuable  to  be  handed  about  in  this  way,  and  perhaps 
iniquitously  tampered  with,"  said  Ferns,  moving  toward  St. 
Johns,  and  attempting  to  take  the  document  from  his  hands. 


THE   RUSSIAN   EEFUGEE.  401 

"  Hold !  "  said  the  judge  ;  "  that  document  has  been  put 
in  evidence,  and  introduced  into  this  court  as  a  witness, 
and  as  such  can  be  examined  and  cross-examined  as  far  as 
the  court  deems  necessary  in  the  interests  of  justice.  Pro- 
ceed with  your  scrutiny,  counsellor." 

The  baffled  attorney  slunk  back  to  his  seat,  looking  like 
a  hyena  balked  of  its  prey. 

"I  fail  to  see  anything  but  the  name  written  here  in 
black  ink,"  said  St.  Johns,  at  length,  in  a  disappointed  tone. 

"  Hold  the  parchment  so  that  the  sun's  rays  will  fall 
directly  upon  the  line.  Then,  too,  I  omitted  to  mention 
that  the  words  written  in  the  solution  slope  from  left  to 
right,  or  backhanded,  as  you  term  it." 

"Yes,  yes — I  see  it  now,"  shouted  the  counsel.  "  Thomas 
Whitely  comes  out  distinctly.  Why,  this  is  indeed  won- 
derful— a  miracle  in  the  interests  of  justice."  Yes,  there, 
under  the  revealing  glass,  came  out,  in  a  delicate  gray,  the 
words  mentioned,  and  the  same  held  good  with  regard  to 
all  the  writing  on  the  parchment,  showing  clearly  where 
erasure  and  substitution  had  been  made.  "Will  your 
honor  please  satisfy  yourself  of  what  I  saw,  and  then  allow 
the  jury  to  see  for  themselves  the  direct  evidence  of  the 
most  audacious  attempt  at  fraud  that  has  ever  been  at- 
tempted in  this  or  any  other  court  ?  " 

"  Will  you  ?  No,  you  don't !  "  exclaimed  a  loud  voice, 
and  all  eyes  were  immediately  directed  to  the  plaintiffs 
corner  of  the  room,  whence  the  voice  came,  and  there  it 
was  noticed  that  the  professional-looking  gentleman  before 
mentioned  had  a  firm  hold  on  the  venerable  Liscomb's 
collar,  and  seemed  to  be  strenuously  opposing  his  escape 
from  the  room. 

"  Mr.  Sheriff,  bring  those  two  persons  creating  this  un- 
seemly disturbance  before  the  court."  This  was  accord- 
ingly done,  with  some  difficulty,  as  the  old  man  resisted  vio- 
lently. "  What  do  you  mean  by  arresting  this  man  in  the 
26 


402  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

court-room  in  this  way  ?  Where  is  your  authority  ?  "  said 
his  honor,  severely  regarding  the  professional-looking  per- 
son. 

"  Your  honor,"  said  St.  Johns,  coming  forward,  "  this 
gentleman  is  following  out  my  instructions,  which  were,  in 
case  the  evidence  seemed  to  justify  it,  to  prevent  any  at- 
tempted escape  of  this  man  from  the  court-room.  You 
will  see  that  this  magistrate's  warrant  is  correct,  and  I  think 
your  honor  will  allow  that  the  revelations  of  the  last  hour 
fully  justify  our  action." 

"You  are  in  this  warrant  charged  with  conspiracy, 
Arthur  Liscornb,  and  will  have  to  remain  in  the  custody  of 
the  officer  until  legally  released." 

Ferns  and  Laycock  had  not  been  by  any  means  passive 
spectators  of  this  scene,  and  blustered  and  threatened  as  to 
the  revenge  they  would  take  for  this  outrage  ;  but  in  vain. 
The  attempt  of  the  plaintiff  to  escape  from  the  room  gave  a 
bad  color  to  his  case,  and  the  wily  lawyers  felt  this  keenly. 
The  judge  ordered  the  trial  to  go  on. 

"Now  that  the  jury  has  examined  this  deed,  and  seen  the 
glaring  nature  of  the  forgery,  we  will  proceed  to  identify 
our  witness,  in  order  to  save  the  other  side  the  trouble," 
said  St.  Johns. 

From  a  list  in  his  hand  the  counsel  called  on  four  wit- 
nesses successively,  old  men,  who  swore  distinctly  that  they 
identified  the  witness,  although  they  had  not  seen  him  for 
over  fifty  years,  and  supposed  him  dead  long  ago.  Their 
evidence  was  pointed  and  positive  and  was  not  practically  al- 
tered by  Ferns'  brow-beating  questioning.  The  fifth  witness, 
however,  was  a  Russian,  and  he  swore  that  he  had  known  of 
Kuprianoff's  existence  during  all  this  time,  and  that  his 
great  age  was  an  undoubted  fact.  Then  the  lawyer,  by  per- 
mission of  the  judge,  asked  all  in  the  room  who  recognized 
the  ancient  man  to  rise  to  their  feet,  and  at  least  a  dozen 
gray-haired  men,  most  of  them  looking  nearly,  if  not  quite, 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  403 

as  old  as  the  witness,  stood  up  promptly.  It  was  evident 
that  the  prosecution  had  no  case,  and  although  Ferns  made 
a  fierce  tirade  to  the  jury,  ending  by  threatening  all  sorts  of 
legal  reprisals,  it  was  plain  that  the  jury  were  decided.  St. 
Johns  simply  said  that  he  rejoiced  that  Divine  Providence 
had  spared  this  noble  patriarch  to  be  able  to  vindicate  his 
own  memory  from  the  foul  aspersions  which  had  been  cast 
upon  it,  and  the  infamous  charge  that  he  had  fraudulently 
deeded  the  Hermitage  twice.  "  I  make  no  speech,  leaving 
the  evidence  with  you,  gentlemen,  knowing  that  your  good 
sense  will  give  us  a  unanimous  verdict."  « 

After  a  short  charge  from  the  judge,  the  jury,  through 
their  foreman,  cast  their  verdict  in  favor  of  the  defence 
without  leaving  their  seats.  Popular  opinion,  which  twenty- 
four  hours  previously  had  seemed  to  point  very  decidedly 
in  favor  of  the  venerable  plaintiff,  now  had  completely 
veered  around,  and  the  verdict  was  received  with  a  storm  of 
approval  against  which  the  dignity  of  the  judge  and  the 
court- officers  labored  in  vain.  After  a  semblance  of  quiet 
was  obtained,  the  usual  forms  were  gone  through,  and  court 
adjourned.  Then  ensued  a  wild  commotion,  resulting  from 
the  eager  desire  of  the  people  to  personally  congratulate 
Mr.  Hastings.  All  petty  grievances  were  forgotten,  and  he 
was  only  remembered  as  the  honest  man,  kind  neighbor, 
and  high-minded  gentleman.  Elsie,  too,  came  in  for  a  full 
share  of  the  congratulations,  for  she  was  extremely  popular, 
and  many  a  little  grudge  entertained  against  the  inflexible 
magistrate  had  been  mollified  or  entirely  removed  by  the 
kind  word  or  smile  of  his  daughter.  For  herself  she  had 
but  one  desire  when  court  closed  and  she  could  disengage 
herself  from  the  circle  of  friendly  faces  and  clasping  hands, 
and  that  was  to  seek  the  dear  old  man  to  whom  they 
owed  so  much,  and  thank  him.  Her  full,  grateful  heart 
longed  to  disburden  itself,  and  she  felt  that  a  touch  of  the 
hand  from  this  sage  of  another  century  would  be  a  bene- 


404  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

diction.  Alas !  he  had  disappeared  ;  no  one  seemed  to 
know  how  or  when,  but  he  was  gone.  She  met  St.  Johns, 
who  was  on  the  same  quest,  apparently,  for  his  salutation 
was: 

"How  glorious!  Let  me  congratulate  you,  my  dear 
child..  But  where  is  that  splendid  specimen  of  ancient 
manhood  ?  I  have  not  quite  got  over  it.  It  seems  like  a 
veritable  resurrection,  doesn't  it?  Have  you  seen  him? 
He  saved  us  at  the  eleventh  hour ! " 

Just  then  his  eye  fell  on  the  crest-fallen-looking  plaintiff, 
to  whom  the  professional-looking  person  was  sticking  like 
grim  death.  His  counsel  had  deserted  him,  and  he  looked 
doleful  enough.  "  Ha,  ha  !  I  must  attend  to  that  rascal,  and 
have  him  properly  committed  for  one  of  the  vilest  conspir- 
acies ever  concocted  by  a  band  of  ruffians.  I  believe  this 
old  scoundrel  is  only  the  weak  tool  of  sharper  knaves,  and 
if  I  could  see  my  way  clearly  I  would  have  those  two  '  divil's 
limbs  of  the  law,'  as  I  heard  an  Irishman  just  now  call  them, 
indicted  with  him  as  co-conspirators,  as  I  believe  they  are." 

In  a  few  moments  the  active  lawyer  had  the  satisfaction 
of  seeing  the  late  plaintiff  in  the  civil  suit  of  Liscomb  vs. 
Hastings  marched  off  under  the  guardianship  of  the  pro- 
fessional-looking person  and  another  detective,  en  route  for 
Melville  jail. 


CHAPTER  XXXm. 
A  NOCTURNAL  SURPRISE. 

So  the  big  trial  was  over,  and  the  inmates  of  the  Hermitage 
felt  like  taking  out,  as  it  were,  a  new  lease  of  life.  Their 
beautiful  home,  for  a  time  in  such  serious  jeopardy,  now  in 
a  sense  seemed  more  their  own  than  ever,  if  that  were  pos- 
sible. Mr.  Hastings  had  invited  home  to  dinner  a  number 
of  friends,  so  a  sort  of  jubilee  party  had  been  held  in  the 
hospitable  mansion  on  the  evening  of  the  trial,  and  a  very 
delightful  gathering  it  was.  The  theme  of  all  was  the 
wonderful  old  man,  and  much  curiosity  was  manifested  to 
know  where  he  had  been  living  all  these  long  years.  The 
host  and  his  daughter  had  to  skilfully  fence  many  direct 
questions  from  those  who  suspected  that  his  existence  and 
whereabouts  had  been  all  the  time  known  to  them.  And 
now,  on  the  morning  after  the  exciting  day,  the  father  and 
daughter  were  in  the  cosey  library,  indulging  in  a  delightful 
talk  all  to  themselves. 

"  Oh,  father,  to  think  that  the  Patriarch  should  turn  out 
to  be  the  old,  old  man  who  laid  out  this  place  and  built  the 
house.  It  seems  to  me  like  a  dream." 

"  Facts  are  often  more  strange  than  fiction,  my  dear,  and 
his  wonderful  age  and  preservation  are  truly  marvellous  ; 
but  I  suspect  there  are  many  such  instances,  if  we  only  knew 
them.  A  good  many  are  on  record  of  men  attaining  many 
years  over  the  century,  and  the  statements  concerning  the 
phenomenal  age  of  Thomas  Parr  cited  by  Mr.  St.  Johns 
have  never  been  disproved." 


406  THE   RUSSIAN   EEFUGEE. 

"  I  found  a  sketch  of  his  life  in  your  work  of  '  Universal 
Biography,'  father,  and  they  say  he  was  born  in  the  year 
1483  and  died  in  1635,  making  him  one  hundred  and  fifty- 
two  years  of  age.  It  fairly  took  away  my  breath  when  I 
read  it.  How  I  long  to  see  Mr.  Kuprianoff  again  !  He 
will  be  grander  than  ever,  and  it  almost  seems  to  me  that 
I  can't  possibly  be  as  familiar  with  him  as  before." 

"We  must  certainly  take  a  very  early  opportunity  of 
visiting  the  Cave  and  thanking  him  for  what  he  has  done  for 
us.  St.  Johns  acknowledges  that  there  was  not  a  shadow 
of  hope  outside  of  this  unexpected  aid  which  he  so  oppor- 
tunely brought.  Perhaps  we  can  go  to-morrow ;  but  I  forgot, 
your  cousin  Seaman  will  be  home  to-morrow,  and  Ellen  will 
need  your  help  and  counsel  in  a  score  of  things  to  start 
house-keeping  ;  however  we  will  decide  on  a  day." 

"Do  let  it  be  soon,  father — I  feel  as  if  I  could  not  rest 
until  I  see  him  again,"  answered  Elsie,  as  she  kissed  her 
father  for  the  sixth  time  that  morning,  she  felt  so  joyful, 
and  disappeared  to  attend  to  some  house-keeping  problem. 

A  week  later  and  Elsie  had  tried  in  vain  to  find  an  op- 
portunity to  revisit  the  inmates  of  the  Cave.  Ellen  and 
Dr.  Seaman  seemed  to  need  her  so  much  in  their  efforts  to 
start  their  home  that  she  could  not  find  it  in  her  heart 
to  abandon  them  even  for  a  day.  Ellen  relied  on  her  so 
implicitly,  having  little  knowledge  of  the  practical  side 
of  life  in  the  new  country,  and  under  her  tutelage  im- 
proved so  fast  that  Elsie  was  really  delighted  to  help  her. 
Her  cousin  was  indeed  amazed  at  the  accounts  which  he 
received  of  the  trial,  and  his  enthusiasm  about  the  "  primeval 
man,"  as  he  called  him,  even  exceeded  hers.  He  was  deter- 
mined to  see  him,  if  he  had  to  advertise  for  him  as  stolen 
or  strayed,  he  declared,  and  half  hinted  that  she  knew 
more  of  him  than  she  pretended.  Indeed,  from  one  or  two 
casual  remarks  dropped  by  Elsie,  Warren  drew  certain 
conclusions  which  he  determined  to  verify  on  the  first  op- 


THE   EUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  407 

portiinity.  As  said,  a  full  week  had  passed  and  the  Cave 
unvisited,  and  the  big  burden  of  gratitude  weighing  on 
Elsie's  warm  heart  still  remained  unlightened.  She  did 
not  expect  to  say  much  when  she  met  the  "  auld  one,"  as 
she  remembered,  with  a  smile,  the  unreverential  Hiram  had 
called  him,  for  she  knew  he  would  not  permit  any  fervid 
expression  of  thanks,  but  to  press  his  hand  would,  she 
knew,  tell  him  all  she  felt,  even  if  she  uttered  no  word,  for 
he  certainly  could  read  her  thoughts  as  no  one  in  mortal 
form  had  ever  done  before.  However,  the  young  couple 
were  pretty  well  settled  at  last,  and  practice  already  had 
begun  to  seek  the  new  doctor. 

"  At  last  I  feel  as  if  I  could  say  the  day  was  my  own,"  she 
said  in  the  afternoon,  having  paid  a  visit  to  Ellen  in  the 
morning  to  hold  a  consultation  about  some  special  curtains 
for  Warren's  surgery. 

"  A  note,  Miss  Elsie,  came  while  you  was  away.  That 
queer  fellow  brought  it." 

Eagerly  opening  the  missive,  she  read  in  pencil : 

Wish  much  to  see  you,  but  wait  iintil  you  hear  further.     Will  com- 
municate with  you  very  soon,  possibly  this  evening. 
Your  loving  old  friend, 

NICHOLAS  KUPRIANOFF. 

Elsie  was  both  pleased  and  vexed  to  receive  this  note. 
Vexed  because  she  had  half  decided  to  persuade  her  father 
to  visit  the  Cave  the  following  morning,  and  now  she  might 
not  see  her  old  friend  so  soon.  However,  she  was  glad  to 
hear  from  him  ;  and  to  see  the  careful,  just  a  little  unsteady, 
chirography  was  a  joy. 

"  Probably  Mr.  Adolph  will  come  to-night,"  she  said  to 
herself,  and  perhaps  the  thought  suggested  the  rather  more 
careful  toilet  than  usual,  for  despite  herself  she  found  her 
mental  eyes  wandering  frequently,  of  late,  to  that  grave,  pa- 
tient face  with  the  soft  brown  eyes.  That  countenance  in 


408  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

which  the  masculine  and  feminine  qualities  seemed  so  har- 
moniously and  equally  blended.  From  constant  associa- 
tion with  her  father,  perhaps  it  was  that  Elsie  had  an 
almost  manly  contempt  for  elaborate  toilets.  To  spend 
more  than  an  hour  in  her  dressing-room  she  would  have 
regarded  as  a  shameful  sacrifice  of  valuable  time.  She 
wisely  preferred  to  spend  the  time  in  healthful  exercise  in 
the  pure  air  out-of-doors,  gathering  color  and  glow  and 
physical  beauty  from  the  fountain-head.  Her  father  had 
impressed  upon  her,  again  and  again,  that  the  true  source 
of  beauty  was  health,  and  having  this,  a  simple  garb  would 
be  infinitely  more  becoming  and  attractive  than  the  most 
superb  garments  and  ornaments  upon  a  feeble,  sickly  frame. 
Father  and  daughter  were  wonderfully  alike  in  their  tastes  ; 
not  to  be  wondered  at,  perhaps,  after  all,  when  one  came  to 
realize  how  very  intimate  had  been  the  lives  of  these  two. 
For  after  his  wife's  death  the  little  motherless  one  was  his 
only  thought  and  care.  She  it  was  who  made  life  precious 
to  him,  and  she  was  rarely  absent  from  his  waking  thoughts. 
Elsie  was  reading  to  her  father,an  exercise  both  keenly  en- 
joyed, and  now  and  then  pausing  to  listen  to  his  comments 
or  explanations.  It  was  about  ten  o'clock,  and  the  night 
was  dark  with  that  soft  gathering  and  enfolding  blackness 
which  sometimes  seems  to  close  in  on  one  like  a  fog,  and 
yet  warm  and  pleasant  as  the  touch  of  a  rich  fur  garment. 
The  young  lady  was  just  about  to  commence  a  new  chapter, 
as  they  finished  their  discussion  of  the  most  striking  feat- 
ures in  the  one  just  concluded  (an  excellent  practice  always 
followed  by  these  companions),  when  a  clear,  low  voice  was 
distinctly  heard  in  the  room  on  the  shadowed  side  farthest 
from  the  reading-table. 

"  May  an  old  friend  come  forward  to  the  light  ?  " 
The  room  was  entirely  in  the  shade,  with  the  exception 
of  the  light-circle  from  the  shaded  lamp  on  the  study-table, 
in  which  circle  the  two  sat.     Both  started  up  somewhat 


THE   RUSSIAN    REFUGEE.  409 

confused,  at  first,  as  to  where  the  speaker  actually  stood, 
although  recognizing  the  voice. 

"Oh,  yes,"  exclaimed  both  at  once,  and  immediately  out 
of  the  dark — evolved  as  it  were  from  cloud-land — came  the 
venerable  form  of  the  "Patriarch."  Instantly  father  and 
daughter  sprung  forward  joyfully,  each  clasping  one  of  the 
extended  hands. 

"  Welcome  a  thousand  times  to  our  home  !  "  warmly  ex- 
claimed Mr.  Hastings. 

"I  almost  feared  my  abrupt  intrusion  was  untimely," 
said  the  aged  visitor,  as  he  kissed  Elsie  first  on  one  cheek 
and  then  on  the  other,  "but  circumstances  rendered  it 
necessary  to  come  almost  like  a  thief  in  the  night,"  he  con- 
tinued, smiling. 

"  Father,  hadn't  I  better  tell  the  servants  not  to  sit  up  any 
longer,  as  perhaps  our  friend  would  that  his  visit  be  kept 
secret  ?  "  said  Elsie. 

"  My  dear  child,  I  would  much  prefer  that  my  coming 
here  should  be  unknown,  if  you  can  so  arrange  it,"  returned 
the  Patriarch,  before  Mr.  Hastings  could  reply. 

"  We  can  easily  manage  that.  Just  tell  Mi-s.  Wagram 
that  we  wish  to  be  entirely  alone  to-night." 

"  Why,  father,  Mrs.  Wagram  isn't  here  to-night,  and  has 
been  away  a  great  deal  lately.  Something  outside  seems 
to  worry  her  very  much,  and  she  asked  as  a  special  favor 
that  I  would  allow  her  freedom  this  month  to  come  and  go 
as  she  wished,  and  she  has  been  so  very  faithful  that  I  agreed 
to  it  without  consulting  you.  I  hope  I  did  not  do  wrong." 

"  Not  at  all,  my  dear  ;  I  leave  such  things  to  your  own  dis- 
cretion. But,  my  dear  sir,  you  are  surely  not  alone  ?" 

The  old  man  smiled,  and  said,  softly  :  "  Adolph,"  and  an- 
other form  came  out  of  the  shadows,  saying,  "  I,  too,  would 
come  from  the  darkness  to  the  light  and  meet  our  dear 
friends  once  more,"  and  as  the  latest  arrival  took  their 
hands  in  greeting,  his  father  observed,  quietly  :  "  While 


410  THE   KUSSIAN   KEFTJGEE. 

not  burglariously  inclined,  yet  our  entrance  to-night  into 
this  home  savors  not  a  little  of  the  ways  of  those  gentle- 
men." 

"  By  night  or  by  day,  by  door  or  window,  by  ways  canny 
or  uncanny,  my  home  is  open  to  you  both  whenever  it  shall 
please  you  to  come,"  said  the  host,  earnestly. 

Elsie,  who  had  left  the  room  to  inform  the  servants  as 
her  father  began  speaking,  now  returned,  having  met  one 
of  the  girls  on  her  way  to  the  library. 

The  ancient  man,  who  seemed  to  be  deeply  impressed  by 
his  surroundings,  even  more  so,  Elsie  thought,  than  Adolph 
had  been  on  the  former  occasion,  said,  in  a  voice  which 
trembled  somewhat : 

"  To  revisit  my  old  home  and  receive  such  kind  welcome 
touches  me  deeply.  I  thank  you  much." 

"  Yes,  your  old  home.  Why,  you  built  the  house  and  laid 
out  the  grounds,  did  you  not  ?  How  strange,  how  wonder- 
ful it  all  is.  And  we  thought  you  had  died  ever  so  long 
ago,"  fervently  exclaimed  the  young  lady. 

"  Yes,  my  dear,  I  built  this  house,  and  our  appearance 
here  to-night  proves  that  it  has  some  secrets  which  have 
not  as  yet  been  revealed  to  you." 

"  Why,"  said  Mr.  Hastings,  with  a  peculiar  look,  "  did  you 
not  come  in  the  usual  way,  by  the  road.  I  confess  you  did 
startle  me  on  hearing  your  voice,  and  more  so  on  seeing 
you  come  forward  from  that  side  of  the  room,  but  con- 
cluded that  you  must  have  arrived  while  we  were  reading, 
and  so  entered  unperceived.  Yet  I  own  it  puzzled  me  to 
know  how  you  could  so  effectually  elude  our  vigilance." 

The  Patriarch  smiled,  saying :  "We  neither  came  by  the 
road  nor  entered  by  the  window,  and  so  your  watchfulness 
and  alertness  were  not  at  fault  in  any  degree  whatever. 
We  took  the  liberty  of  entering  your  home  by  a  door  you 
never  suspected,  and  came  hither  by  a  road  untrodden  for 
long,  long  years."  Again  the  weird,  creeping  feeling,  as  if 


THE   RUSSIAN   EEFUGEE.  411 

a  supernatural  something  were  hovering  near,  came  over 
one  of  the  listeners,  and  Elsie's  pulses  seemed  to  congeal 
into  frigidity  as  she  gazed  on  this  curious  old  man.  He 
continued,  after  a  brief  pause,  as  was  his  wont,  resting  from 
time  to  time,  as  Elsie  had  often  noticed  before,  as  if  con- 
tinued speaking  exhausted  him  :  "  Dear  friends,  forgive 
us,  but  it  seemed  best  to  come  thus,  and  we  took  all  pre- 
caution to  avoid  giving  you  hurtful  or  needless  alarm.  We 
came  to-night  by  a  secret  passage  leading  from  the  Cave  to 
this  very  room." 

"  Impossible ! "  exclaimed  both  father  and  daughter 
together;  and  the  former  looked  both  astonished  and 
alarmed.  "  A  secret  passage  leading  into  my  house,  and  I 
living  here  for  twenty-seven  years,  nearly,  and  not  know  of 
its  existence !  Can  it  be  really  so  ?  " 

"  Yes  ;  our  being  here  is  one  proof,  certainly,  and  I  can 
speedily  convince  you.  The  passage  is  a  subterranean  one 
formed  by  Nature's  own  hand,  and  its  discovery,  and  sub- 
sequently the  Cave  to  which  it  led,  was  the  cause  of  my 
building  the  house  on  this  particular  spot.  You  are  aware, 
from  what  I  have  narrated  elsewhere,  that  at  one  period  a 
large  price  was  put  on  my  head  by  the  Kussian  Govern- 
ment, and  not  knowing  what  contingency  might  arise,  I 
resolved  to  utilize  this  discovery  of  the  Cave,  and  provide 
a  secure  refuge  in  case  of  especial  peril."  And  the  aged 
speaker  again  rested,  leaning  back  in  the  large  comfort- 
able arm-chair  which  his  host  had  insisted  on  his  occu- 
pying- 

"Father  feels  the  effect  of  long-continued  exertion  of 
any  kind  at  his  great  age,  of  course,  but  he  speedily  re- 
cruits," remarked  the  son,  who  sat  by  affectionately  regard- 
ing the  venerable  man. 

"  But  this  secret  passage,"  rejoined  Mr.  Hastings,  "  con- 
founds and  confuses  me.  How  long  is  it  ?  Why,  it  must 
be  several  miles  at  least,  and  how  ever  could  your  father 


412  THE   RUSSIAN    REFUGEE. 

bear  the  fatigue  of  such  a  journey  ;  and  then  about  the 
ventilation,  the.  air  must  be  very  bad." 

"  Only  two  miles  long,  Mr.  Hastings,"  answered  the  old 
man,  with  a  smile,  as  he  opened  his  eyes  ;  "  and  as  to  the 
ventilation,  why,  there  are  a  number  of  places  where  it 
communicates  with  the  outer  air.  I  did  not  feel  the  fa- 
tigue as  much  as  I  expected,  and  almost  nothing  of  it  now. 
Remember  I  was  a  mountaineer  during  a  portion  of  my 
early  life,  and  was  inured  to  fatigue.  I  was  called  a  fa- 
mous walker.  But  I  was  speaking  of  the  troublous  times 
of  half  a  century  ago,  and  beyond.  After  erecting  this 
mansion,  I  had  this  passage  cleared  out,  and  free,  easy 
communication  established  between  the  Cave  and  this  room, 
as  said  before.  After  a  few  years  of  quiet,  philosophic 
existence  here  with  my  one  servant,  who  was  devoted  to 
me,  having  followed  me  to  this  country  from  my  native 
province,  and  my  beloved  child,  changes  came.  My  boy 
died,  and  later  on  I  unwittingly  drew  the  attention  of  the 
Russian  Government,  and  a  determined  effort  was  made  to 
extradite  me  and  take  me  to  St.  Petersburg  on  a  charge  of 
sedition  and  murder.  I  received  prompt  warning  from  a 
friend,  and  at  once  took  steps  to  retire  from  public  no- 
tice. I  resolved  to  sell  the  property  and  retire  to  the 
Cave,  where  I  was  fairly  certain  of  being  secure  from  mol- 
estation. I  disposed  of  the  property  to  Mr.  "Whitely,  and 
subsequently  you  became  proprietor.  Nobody  excepting 
a  few  close  personal  friends  knew  of  my  existence,  and  I 
died  to  public  interest.  I  travelled  about  the  country,  from 
time  to  time,  disguised,  in  connection  with  the  Order,  doing 
effective  work  against  the  tyrants  who  enslaved  my  native 
land ;  but  my  journeying  was  mostly  at  night.  It  was  on 
one  of  these  journeys  that  I  found  my  boy.  Yes,  about 
thirty  years  since  the  great  blessing  came  into  my  life  of 
meeting  my  child,  reincarnated— a  healthy,  strong  lad  of 
some  eight  or  ten  summers.  Smile  if  you  please,  my  dear 


THE   RUSSIAN    REFUGEE.  413 

friend,  but  to  me  it  is  a  profound  fact  which  I  accept  as  I 
do  the  conviction  of  immortality,"  and  the  venerable  visitor 
paused  a  moment,  giving  Mr.  Hastings  .opportunity  to 
say: 

"I  merely  smiled  to  think  how  such  a  faith,  which  I  as- 
sure you  is  beautiful  and  interesting  to  me,  would  be 
viewed  by  the  world." 

"  The  world's  thought  and  opinion  weighs  less  than  the 
dust  of  the  balance  in  comparison  with  yours,  my  dear  sir, 
or  that  of  the  beloved  child  here.  A  word  more  and  I 
cease.  My  son's  early  life  had  been  sacrificed  by  undue 
attention  to  and  cultivation  of  the  mental  nature,  and  I 
now  resolved  that  the  training  of  the  physical — the  develop- 
ment of  his  body — should  take  precedence  over  every  other 
consideration,  and  so  he  has  grown  up  largely  a  child  of 
nature,  as  you  see  him  to-day,"  and  the  old  man  looked 
fondly  at  the  fine  specimen  of  physical  manhood  beside 
him.  "  These  are  the  few  necessary  links  in  the  chain  of 
my  life,  which  I  deemed  it  best  you  should  know,  so  as  to 
ba  able  to  make  a  just  estimate  of  the  whole." 

"  And  a  most  interesting  recital  it  has  been,"  said  the 
host ;  "  and  now  let  me,  in  my  daughter's  name  and  my 
own,  thank  you  most  sincerely  for  the  heroic  kindness 
which  induced  you,  at  your  great  age,  to  leave  your  obscu- 
rity and  face  the  vexatious  and  severe  ordeal  of  the  witness- 
stand  on  our  behalf.  You  saved  our  property  for  us,  and 
no  words  can  express  our  obligation,"  said  the  gentleman, 
clasping  the  hand  of  his  aged  visitor  warmly. 

"  Yes,  indeed,  and  I  feel  it  as  much  as  father.  It  was  a 
noble  self-denying  act,  and  my  heart  ached  when  I  heard 
that  brutal  lawyer  badger  you  as  he  did  by  his  rude 
questions,"  added  Elsie,  her  whole  countenance  glowing 
with  the  emotion  she  felt. 

"  My  dear  friends,  you  must  not  talk  so,  it  really  dis- 
tresses me.  It  was  a  responsibility  laid  upon  me — a  para- 


414  TPIE  RUSSIAN   EEFUGEE. 

mount  duty  as  well  as  a  pleasure — to  come  to  your  aid 
against  those  sons  of  evil.  'No  obligations  between 
friends,'  is  an  old  saying  of  my  country.  So  now  while  I 
am  resting,  Adolph  will  tell  you  why  we  chose  this  peculiar 
way  of  coming,  and  also  why  we  selected  this  late  hour." 

Thus  called  on,  the  younger  visitor  told  them  that  in 
some  way  or  other  the  Russian  government  had  discovered 
that  Ivan  had  taken  refuge  in  this  country,  and  was  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Melville.  Some  evil-disposed  person  had 
informed  the  Russian  diplomatic  office  at  Washington,  and 
already  two  detectives  were  in  the  vicinity  and  on  the 
watch.  "  Suspicion  has  been  directed  to  the  region  of 
the  cave's  entrance  by  which  you  visited  us,  and  so  we  de- 
cided it  would  be  prudent  to  avoid  using  that  mode  of 
reaching  our  underground  dwelling  for  the  present.  So 
father  decided  that  to-night  we  would  reveal  to  you  this 
new  mode  of  reaching  us  and  we  you.  But  of  course,  so 
long,  at  least,  as  our  friend  Ivan  is  in  danger,  it  will,  as  you 
understand,  I  am  sure,  be  necessary  to  keep  the  secret 
among  ourselves,  and  guard  it  religiously  from  outsiders." 

"Which  caution,"  interposed  the  old  gentleman,  sud- 
denly, "  would  not  be  necessary  if  the  true  relation  existed 
between  servants  and  their  employers.  Then  each  member 
of  a  household,  be  he  servitor  or  served,  would  be  unswerv- 
ing in  his  fidelity  to  the  family  or  house,  and  feel  that  the 
interest  of  one  was  the  interest  of  all.  Something  of  the 
spirit  which  prevails  among  the  clans  of  the  Scotch  High- 
lands, where  each  member  is  proud  of  being  a  clansman — 
the  humblest  shepherd  this — the  proudest  chief  no  more, 
and  in  this  sense  they  have  a  common  interest,  a  mutual 
purpose,  and  each  can  call  the  other  brother.  But  I  inter- 
rupt," he  said,  with  that  genial  smile  which  so  charmed 
Elsie,  "  and  my  excuse  must  be  the  deep  interest  which 
I  have  always  taken  in  these  subjects.  My  time  now  must 
be  very  short  indeed,  and  so  I  cannot  hope  to  see  what  cer- 


THE   RUSSIAN   KEFUGEE.  415 

tainly  some  of  you  will — the  true  fraternal  relation  estab- 
lished between  employers  and  employe's,  when  the  former 
will  act  as  the  parent  or  chief,  willing  and  anxious  to  share 
all  good,  material  or  otherwise,  in  fair  proportion  with 
those  whose  labor  earns  it,  and  when  the  workers  will  give 
a  heart-prompted,  faithful,  conscientious  service  in  return." 

"As  time  grows  late,"  said  Adolph,  when  his  father 
ceased  speaking,  "just  let  me  say  that  whenever  you  can 
find  time  to  honor  our  poor  cave  home  with  your  presence, 
giving  notice  to  Hiram  will  insure  our  attendance  here  to 
conduct  you  by  the  new  road." 

"  Eight  from  this  room  ?  "  exclaimed  Elsie,  with  almost 
childish  glee. 

"Yes,"  returned  the  gentleman,  "and  now,  father,  sup- 
pose we  retire,  and  in  so  doing  show  our  friends  the  secret 
panel." 

The  aged  man  arose,  and  placing  his  arm  in  that  of  the 
host,  moved  forward  in  the  direction  of  the  alcove  which 
formed  the  base  of  the  L  shaped  library.  At  the  extreme 
end  of  this  alcove  or  recess,  which  was  about  fifteen  feet 
long  and  perhaps  eight"  wide,  fitted  with  book  shelves  on 
both  sides,  there  was  a  very  elaborately  carved  solid  oak 
panel  occupying  the  entire  space  laterally,  and  in  height 
about  six  feet.  It  was  a  beautiful  piece  of  wood-work,  and 
was  always  shown  to  visitors  as  being  a  very  rare  and  valu- 
able work  of  old-time  skill.  Mr.  Hastings  had,  at  his  visi- 
tor's suggestion,  brought  the  lamp  in  his  hand,  and  Adolph, 
who  with  Elsie  had  followed  their  elders,  now  lighted  a 
dark  lantern  which  he  had  with  him,  and  threw  a  strong  light 
upon  the  panel.  The  dwellers  in  the  mansion  looked  on 
with  a  curiosity  which  was  intensely  keen,  to  see  what 
would  happen  next.  The  centre  of  the  panel,  a  space  about 
three  feet  square  was  exquisitely  engraved  and  colored  in 
the  wood,  the  subject  being  a  battle-field  of  the  olden  time. 
This,  as  contrasted  with  the  surrounding  part,  cut  in  basso- 


416  THE   RUSSIAN   EEFUGEE. 

relievo,  produced  an  admirable  effect  as  a  picture  in  a 
frame. 

"That  is  a  gem  of  art,"  said  Mr.  Hastings,  "and  some 
time  I  must  ask  you  for  its  history.  I  never  saw  anything 
just  like  it  in  all  my  travelling." 

"  It  is  an  old  style,  and  was  done  for  me  by  an  artistic 
genius  who  died  in  Siberia,"  replied  the  old  man,  a  dark 
cloud  passing  over  his  face,  "another  victim  of  tyranny 
and  wrong." 

At  a  sign  from  the  "  Patriarch,"  Adolph  now  stepped  in 
front  and  quickly  touched  some  part  of  the  panel,  and  at 
once  without  any  noise  the  centre  disappeared,  leaving  a 
vacant  space  framed  in  the  basso-relievo  wood -work.  A 
rush  of  cool  air  nearly  extinguished  the  lamp  in  Mr.  Hast- 
ings' hand,  and  both  father  and  daughter  looked  with 
startled  gaze  into  what  appeared  a  yawning  gulf  in  place 
of  the  beautiful  panel  which  through  so  long  years  had 
daily  met  their  gaze. 

"  Well,  you  are  indeed  a  magician,  Mr.  Kuprianoff,"  said 
the  host,  after  a  moment's  natural  pause  ;  "  what  wonder 
will  you  spring  upon  us  next  ?  " 

The  aged  man  laughed  softly,  saying  :  "  No,  not  a  nec- 
romancer by  any  means,  Mr.  Hastings,  but  one  who  be- 
lieves in  bending  nature  to  man's  uses  within  the  bounds 
of  natural  law.  But  look,  now  your  eyes  are  becoming 
used  somewhat  to  the  gloom,  and  see  the  rails  and  the  little 
car  upon  them,  on  which  Adolph  has  brought  me  so  easily 
and  safely."  Yes,  there  was  a  ladder  leading  below,  and 
at  a  depth  of  perhaps  fifteen  feet  they  could  just  distinguish, 
by  the  fugitive  rays  cast  into  the  dark  abyss  by  Adolph's 
lantern,  a  small  car  with  a  comfortable  seat  resting  upon 
what  looked  like  the  rails  spoken  of  by  the  old  man.  "  We 
shall  go  home  in  half  an  hour  easily,  as  it  is  slightly  down 
grade  all  the  way  to  the  cave.  So  good  -by,  dear  friends, 
and  pardon  us  for  such  uncanny  midnight  visitation.  After 


THE  RUSSIAN    REFUGEE.  417 

we  pass  through  the  centre  of  the  panel  it  will  slide  back 
to  its  former  position,  and  no  ordinary  force  short  of  ab- 
solute destruction  can  open  it  from  your  side  ;  but  I  will 
explain  the  mechanism  on  my  next  visit.  May  Heaven  blesa 
you  both.  You  are  worthy  to  be  the  possessors  of  my  old 
home." 

"  Amen,"  fervently  repeated  the  son  ;  and  so  these  two 
passed  through  the  panel,  the  elder  descending  the  steps 
with  marvellous  agility  considering  his  phenomenal  burden 
of  years,  and  then  the  host  and  his  daughter  found  them- 
selves gazing  at  the  magic  panel,  which  had  been  restored 
to  its  usual  place  with  the  same  ease  and  rapidity  with 
which  it  had  left  it. 

"  Oh,  father,  and  to  think  we  knew  nothing  about  this 
through  all  these  years." 

"  Something  to  dream  over,  my  dear.  We  have,  indeed, 
had  some  strange  experiences  and  revelations  within  a  short 
time.  Who  will  say  that  fact  is  not  as  strange  as  fiction  ? 
But  good-night ;  it  is  almost  two  o'clock,  and  we  both  need 
rest." 

"I  know,  father,  but  I  feel  nervous  about  them  travel- 
ling through  the  earth  in  this  curious  way  at  this  time  of 
night." 

"  Why,  Elsie,  they  are  safer  there  than  on  the  common 
road,  and  night  and  day  are  the  same  in  all  subterranean 
.regions." 

li  Of  course.  I  never  thought  of  that.  Good-night, 
papa." 

27 


CHAPTEE  XXXIV. 

UNMASKING. 

"  ELSIE,  sweet  coz,  when  are  you  going  to  fulfil  your 
promise,  and  take  me  to  see  this  very  ancient  witness  of 
yours?"  inquired  Seaman.  "I'm  just  dying  to  see  and 
talk  with  such  a  prehistoric  specimen  of  the  race." 

"Prehistoric  specimen,  indeed ! "  exclaimed  Elsie.  " Pray, 
do  you  only  date  history  back  a  hundred  years  ?  " 

"  Yes,  our  history  as  a  separate  and  independent  people 
does  not  yet  date  back  a  hundred  years,  and  your  animated 
fossiliferous  find  dates  back,  I  believe,  one  hundred  and 
twenty.  Whew  !  wouldn't  I  like  to  dissect  him." 

"Hush,  you  horrid  creature.  Ellen,  does  he  often  talk 
in  that  blood-curdling  way  in  your  presence  ?  " 

Seaman  glanced  at  his  fair  young  wife  comically  and 
anticipated  her  reply  with,  "  Of  course  I  do,  and  only  she 
persuaded  me  to  come  over  here  this  afternoon,  I  should 
now  possibly  be  explaining  to  her  the  special  features  in  a 
beautiful  case  of  hydrocephalus  which  I  have  at  present  on 
hand." 

"  I  don't  believe  a  word  of  it.  He  doesn't  talk  to  you 
about  such  things,  does  he,  Ellen  ?  " 

Elleu  laughed  merrily  as  she  answered  :  "  Well,  Warren 
does  talk  about  his  cases  to  me  sometimes,  and  tells  me,  I 
suspect,  some,  as  you  term  them,  blood-curdling  things, 
but  not  understanding  medical  language  very  well  as  yet, 
I  don't  suffer  very  much.  He  dresses  his  ghosts  pretty  well 
before  he  introduces  them  at  home." 


THE   RUSSIAN   KEFtfGEE.  419 

"But  you  soon  will  understand  medical  terms,  my  love, 
and  then,  hurrah  for  the  ghosts  !  " 

"Oh,  yes,  and  by  that  time  I  shall  be  used  to  them. 
Would  you  believe  it,  Elsie,  I  took  a  skull  in  my  own  hands 
this  morning  without  shuddering,  and  I  know  the  meaning 
of  cerebritis,  and  aphasia,  and  some  other  big  words." 

"And,  pray,  what  may  cerebritis  mean,  my  learned 
cousin?"  asked  Elsie,  with  mock  deference,  "or  shall  I  say 
Dr.  Ellen  ?  " 

"  No,  no,  I  haven't  graduated  her  yet ;  she  is  only  a  fresh- 
man in  the  Seaman  Medical  College.  But  tell  Elsie  what 
is  the  meaning  of  cerebritis,  Ellen." 

"  Cerebritis  is,"  began  the  young  wife  with  great  delibera- 
tion, "the  loss  of  the  memory — of  inflammation  of  that  part 
of  the  brain  by  which  we  remember  words  ; "  adding  naively, 
"  I  didn't  think  I  could  have  remembered  such  a  long  thing 
so  well" 

Elsie  looked  duly  impressed  with  the  explanation  of  the 
curious  term,  but  Warren,  after  a  vain  effort  at  self-control, 
finally  went  off  into  a  paroxysm  of  hilarious  laughter,  to  El- 
sie's mock  indignation  and  his  wife's  open-eyed  amazement. 

"  Thus  endeth  the  first  lesson,"  he  blurted  out  on  recov- 
ering his  voice,  and  then  again  gave  way  to  his  risible  pro- 
pensities. 

"  Upon  my  word,  sir,  you  are  a  dignified  tutor,  certainly, 
to  indulge  in  such  unseemly  merriment  because  your  pupil 
made  some  slight  error  in  defining  a  barbarous  medical 
term.  Never  mind,  Ellen,  I  think  more  of  you  because  you 
did  not  have  it  quite  right.  I  should  have  gravely  doubted 
your  sanity  if  you  had  made  no  mistake  in  such  a  thing. 
It  means  something  horrible,  I  know,  or  he  would  not  have 
tried  to  teach  it  to  you." 

"  I  am  sure  Ithoughtl  knew  it  perfectly,"  returned  Ellen. 
"  Cerebritis — loss  of  the  words  which  express  the  inflamma- 
tion of  the  brain,"  she  repeated,  as  if  to  herself. 


420  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

"  That  is  just  it,  my  dear— loss  of  the  words,  or  rather  of 
the  ideas  which  those  words  represent.  You  evidently  are 
suffering  with  cerebritis,"  laughed  her  husband. 

"  Well,  I'm  going  to  prescribe  for  her  if  she  is,  and  so  you 
will  lose  one  patient,  Mr.  Medicine.  Come,  Ellen,  I've  some- 
thing I  want  to  show  you,  and  so  we  will  leave  this  learned 
gentleman  to  his  own  devices  for  a  brief  period.  Perhaps, 
Warren,  you  can  study  out  some  more  peculiarities  in  cere- 
britis while  we  are  absent.  By-by." 

But  Dr.  Seaman  did  not  find  much  opportunity  to  add 
anything  to  his  knowledge  of  the  disease  his  cousin  referred 
to,  for  in  a  few  moments  after  the  girls  disappeared  his 
uncle  entered  the  room  in  some  excitement,  inquiring  for 
his  daughter. 

"  Startling  news,  Warren,"  said  he,  with  a  flush  on  his  cheek 
his  nephew  had  not  seen  there  for  many  a  day.  "  That  old 
rascal  Liscomb  escaped  from  the  prison,  with  the  assistance 
of  a  confederate,  last  night,  or  rather  yesterday  afternoon, 
but  they  have  been  recaptured,  caught  before  they  could 
secrete  or  disguise  themselves,  and  they  are  to  have  a  pre- 
liminary hearing  this  afternoon  at  three  o'clock  before  Jus- 
tice Gorman,  and  I  am  asked  to  be  present.  I  want  Elsie 
to  go  too,  and  you  and  your  wife  had  better  come  also.  What 
do  you  say  ?  " 

"  Just  the  thing,  if  Ellen  is  willing.  They  left  the  room 
just  before  you  entered.  I  am  very  glad  that  fellow  didn't 
escape,  and  the  attempt  is  a  tacit  confession  of  conspiracy  ; 
but,  Uncle  Hastings,  I  have  felt  all  along  that  this  old  man  is 
only  a  tool  in  the  hands  of  some  keener  rascal.  Pity  we 
couldn't  nab  the  principal." 

"  Perhaps  you  are  correct  in  your  surmise,  Warren,  and 
if  so,  there  is  a  chance  that  Liscomb,  to  save  himself,  may  be 
induced  to  confess,  but  the  examination  of  the  confederate 
may  throw  some  light  on  the  matter." 

Just  at  this  moment  the  ladies  entered  and  on  being  in- 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  421 

formed  of  the  subject  on  hand  both  expressed  the  liveliest 
interest  in  the  proposed  arrangement,  and  promised  to  be 
ready  at  the  appointed  hour. 

Justice  Gorman  was  a  gentleman  of  wealth,  living  a  couple 
of  miles  from  the  Hermitage.  He  was  a  retired  lawyer,  and 
had  proved  a  very  brave  and  efficient  justice  of  the  peace 
since  his  appointment,  some  ten  years  before.  His  large 
office  was  well  filled  when  Mr.  Hastings  and  his  party  arrived, 
for  the  news  of  the  capture  had  been  pretty  fully  circulated 
in  the  neighborhood.  The  justice  invited  Mr.  Hastings  to 
take  a  seat  beside  him,  but  he  declined,  for  some  reasons  of 
his  own,  and  seated  himself  beside  his  daughter. 

The  magistrate  opened  his  little  court  promptly  at  the 
time  appointed,  and  ordered  the  new  prisoner  to  be  brought 
in.  He  was  at  once  led  in  front  of  the  desk  by  the  local 
constable,  and  the  professional-looking  person  who  had 
figured  in  the  former  trial  followed  close  behind,  watching 
the  prisoner  like  a  hawk. 

"  That  is  a  singular-looking  man,  that  detective ;  he 
seems  to  be  shadowing  this  Liscomb  and  his  friends,"  re- 
marked Mr.  Hastings  to  his  nephew. 

"  He  does  look  like  a  very  Nemesis  in  male  attire.  Elsie 
was  just  telling  me  the  part  he  played  in  arresting  the  elder 
criminal  before,"  replied  Seaman. 

The  prisoner  was  a  heavily  bearded  man,  in  middle  life, 
with  a  florid  complexion  and  red,  bushy  hair.  He  looked 
somewhat  like  a  farmer  who  had  been  on  a  spree  and  was 
half-ashamed  of  himself.  When  called  on  to  plead,  he  re- 
sponded in  a  deep,  gruff  voice  : 

"Not  guilty,  yer  honor." 

The  constable  here  made  his  statement  as  to  how  he 
came  to  arrest  the  fugitives,  but  frankly  disclaimed  any 
special  merit  in  the  affair,  giving  all  the  credit  to  the  detec- 
tive before  alluded  to.  "  This  gentleman  came  to  me  day 
before  yesterday,  and  says  he,  '  Mr.  Blank,  I  want  yer  to  be 


422  THE   EUSSIAK   EEFUGEE. 

on  hand  to-morrow,  as  there'll  probably  be  something  to  do  ; 
likely  a  prisoner  or  a  couple  of  them  to  arrest/  says  he. 
But  he  gave  no  manner  of  details,  but  told  me  where  to  be 
about  sunset,  and  he'd  tell  me  further.  Sure  'nuff,  I  was 
in  the  place  he  said  at  the  time,  and  in  about  an  hour  I  got 
a  message  from  him,  and  went  and  found  him  with  two 
saddle  horses,  and  rode  off  about  ten  miles,  and  arrested 
these  two  fellers  sleeping  in  a  barn.  That's  all  I  know 
about  it." 

At  the  request  of  the  justice  the  detective  here  stepped 
forward,  and  made  his  statement.  His  voice  was  scarcely 
audible,  except  to  those  close  by.  Elsie  could  only  catch  a 
phrase  here  and  there,  but  the  tone  sounded  strangely 
familiar,  and  she  began  wondering  where  she  had  heard  it 
before.  The  speaker  seemed  to  be  speaking  under  sup- 
pressed excitement,  quite  in  contrast  with  the  stolid  de- 
meanor and  unruffled  passivity  of  his  class.  He  briefly  and 
rapidly  stated  that  having  reason  to  suspect  that  the  pris- 
oner Liscomb  contemplated  escaping  from  prison  by  the 
connivance  of  a  friend  outside,  he  had  taken  precautionary 
measures  so  as  to  insure  the  capture  of  the  pair  before 
they  had  proceeded  too  far. 

"  But  why,  if  you  knew  of  the  intended  attempt  at  es- 
cape, did  you  not  inform  the  prison  authorities  and  so  frus- 
trate it  ?  "  asked  the  justice. 

"Because,"  answered  the  detective  in  a  voice  harsh  and 
metallic  with  concentrated  passion,  "because  I  wished  to  be 
instrumental  in  detecting  and  bringing  to  justice  one  of 
the  greatest  scoundrels  on  this  side  of  hell.  He  has  given 
you  a  wrong  name.  See  for  yourself  ! "  and  turning,  with  the 
quickness  of  thought,  to  the  prisoner  who  stood  on  his  left 
side,  the  speaker  suddenly  grasped  the  reddish-brown 
beard  with  his  right  and  the  bushy  hair  with  his  left  hand 
and  jerking  them  violently  apart  held  up  before  the  aston- 
ished spectators,  including  the  prisoner  himself,  a  false 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  423 

beard  and  wig  of  ample  proportions.  So  quick  had  been 
the  officer's  action  that  the  culprit,  whose  arms  had  been 
folded  carelessly  on  his  breast,  had  not  time  to  make  resist- 
ance until  the  despoilment  was  accomplished,  but  now, 
with  a  horrible  imprecation,  he  suddenly  sprang  at  his  de- 
spoiler  and  with  a  crushing  blow  laid  him  at  his  feet,  and 
then  hurling  himself  upon  the  prostrate  man  began  to  beat 
him  with  remorseless  fury.  Immediately  the  constable 
and  another  man  near  sprang  to  the  rescue  of  the  hapless 
detective,  and  dragged  the  vindictive  villain  from  his  vic- 
tim, and  in  doing  so  showed  to  the  horrified  and  astounded 
gaze  of  the  party  from  the  Hermitage  the  passion-dis- 
torted features  of  Harry  Esmond.  Yes,  there  was  no 
doubt  of  it,  although  his  face  was  rouged  and  a  false 
mustache  still  held  its  place,  and  then  the  voice  set  all 
doubts  at  rest,  as  he  uttered,  in  a  tone  of  savage  malignity  : 

"  God  damn  her  ;  I'd  like  to  have  killed  her !  "  at  the 
same  time  casting  a  glance  of  intense  hatred  at  the  detec- 
tive, who  was  being  borne  senseless  from  the  room. 

Elsie  sat  pale  and  trembling,  too  sick  and  faint  to  move. 
Then,  with  a  great  effort,  she  turned  to  her  father :  "Father, 
do  go  and  see  if  that  poor  fellow  is  badly  hurt.  And  what 
did  he  mean  by  those  dreadful  words.  Is  there  some  other 
mystery  here  ?  "  This  was  said  in  spasmodic  utterances 
and  as  if  each  word  was  being  wrenched  violently  from  her, 
by  mere  force  of  will 

"  My  dear  child,  this  is  a  dreadful  shock  for  you,  but  it  is 
the  natural  outcome  of  his  bad  life.  Warren  is  with  the 
injured  officer  and  will  report  to  us  in  a  moment." 

The  room  had  been  in  wild  commotion  during  the 
scene  narrated,  but  order  was  soon  restored,  and  the  young 
desperado  was  now  manacled,  and  stood  bereft  of  his  bor- 
rowed plumage,  wearing  only  his  own  black  curly  locks  and 
smooth  face,  with  the  exception  of  the  ferocious  mustache 
before  mentioned,  sullenlv  defiant. 


424  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

Presently  Warren  returned,  and  taking  Elsie  by  the  hand 
said,  gravely:  "My  dear  cousin,  prepare  for  another  start- 
ling disclosure.  This  detective  is  a  woman,  so  there  has 
been  masquerading  all  round.  God  knows  what  her  motive 
is,  but  she  has  been  the  avenging  Nemesis  to  track  this 
criminal  to  his  fate.  She  is  recovering  from  the  savage 
blows  dealt  her  by  that  coward,  who  evidently  recognized 
her,  and  naturally  she  wishes  to  see  one  of  her  own  sex. 
She  asked  if  you  were  not  in  the  court  room,  and  requested 
to  see  you  alone.  Will  you  go  in,  or  don't  you  feel  well 
enough  ?  " 

"  Of  course  I  will  go.  You  don't  object,  father,  do  you  ?  " 
said  the  young  lady  rising,  her  color  coming  back  as  she 
thought  of  what  this  poor  woman  must  have  suffered  before 
assuming  this  strange  attire  and  vocation. 

"  Go,  my  child,  if  you  wish,  but  try  and  recover  your 
natural  self-control  before  going  in." 

She  felt  that  sense  of  weariness  and  keen  heart  sickness 
which  comes  to  every  true  nature  on  having  hopes  dashed 
to  the  ground,  and  finding  someone  for  whom  we  have 
toiled  and  suffered  and  prayed  prove  utterly  worthless  and 
base.  Perhaps  there  is  no  heart-sinking  like  this.  She 
opened  the  door  quietly  and  entered,  and  there,  lying  on 
the  sofa,  still  wearing  the  detective's  dress,  but  with  the 
head  and  neck  disguise  all  thrown  aside,  her  startled  gaze 
was  met  by  the  familiar  face  of  the  French  housekeeper, 
Mrs.  Wagram.  Her  hair  was  dishevelled,  and  forehead  and 
face  discolored  by  the  cruel  blows  of  the  infuriated  Esmond  ; 
but  in  spite  of  her  generally  damaged  condition  there  was 
no  mistaking  the  look  of  triumph  upon  the  Frenchwoman's 
countenance. 

"Oh,  misericorde,  Miss  Elsie,  I  am  dying,  I  am  dead. 
That  bete  noir.  But  I  fixed  him.  I  have  been  after  him 
all  this  long  time,  and  he  didn't  know  it.  He  deceived 
me  once  and  made  a  tool  of  me  to  rob  the  house,  and  I 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  425 

swore  then,  yes,  Miss  Elsie,  I  swore  a  French  oath,  that  I 
would  hunt  him  down,  if  it  cost  me  my  life.  And  it  has 
cost  me  my  life.  Oh,  the  brute,  oh,  those  cruel  blows.  I 
am  a  dead  woman,  but  I  am  glad  I  have  got  him  now." 

Elsie  waited  until  the  stream  of  excited  utterance  partly 
exhausted  itself,  and  then  said,  soothingly  :  "  The  doctor 
says  you  will  recover  from  this,  only  you  must  not  become 
excited,  or  you  may  have  a  dangerous  fever.  We  will  have 
you  moved  to  the  house,  and  when  you  are  calmer  you 
shall  tell  me  all  about  it,  and  how  you  came  to  do  such  a 
strange  thing." 

"Does  the  doctor  say  I  shall  recover?  Oh,  bon  Dieu, 
then  I  can  finish  my  work  and  rid  you  of  that  snake  in  the 
grass.  Yes,  I  will  be  quiet ; "  and  here  she  lay  back  wearily 
and  closed  her  eyes.  The  Frenchwoman  could,  when  she 
pleased,  speak  as  good  English  as  anyone,  but  sometimes 
out  of  mere  whim  or  caprice  would  interlard  her  conver- 
sation with  her  native  vernacular,  and  now  and  then,  as 
fancy  dictated,  fall  into  a  sort  of  broken  half  French,  half 
English  compromise  language. 

Meanwhile  order  had  been  restored  in  the  outer  room, 
and  Esmond  duly  committed  on  the  double  charge  of  aid- 
ing and  abetting  the  escape  of  a  prisoner,  and  also  for  an 
aggravated  assault  on  the  detective.  The  culprit  had  as- 
sumed his  usual  jaunty  free-and-easy  bearing,  looking  the 
magistrate  in  the  face  with  brazen  effrontery  as  the  com- 
mitment was  read  to  him.  He  asked  in  a  mocking  voice 
what  bail  would  be  required. 

"  Five  thousand  dollars,"  replied  the  justice,  after  a  mo- 
ment's pause. 

"  Very  moderate,  I'm  sure.  Well,  uncle,"  turning  an 
insolent,  half-sneering  glance  toward  Mr.  Hastings.  "  You 
see  the  fix  I'm  in.  Surely  you  won't  let  your  own  newy  go 
to  limbo  for  a  paltry  five  thousand  dollars  ?  " 

All  felt  that  this  was  mere  bravado,  and  that  the  humili- 


426  THE   EUSSIAN   KEFUGEE. 

ation  of  having  such  a  relative,  must  be  a  severe  trial  to 
the  gentleman  addressed,  yet  some  curiosity  was  excited 
to  see  what  course  the  proprietor  of  the  Hermitage  would 
adopt.  Nor  had  they  to  wait  long,  for  the  uncle  rose,  and 
stepping  forward  so  as  to  nearly  face  the  reckless  scamp, 
said,  in  tones  in  which  indignation  and  sorrow  seemed  to 
be  struggling  for  mastery  :  "  You  shameless  scoundrel,  the 
knowledge  that  you  hold  a  blood  relationship  to  me  is,  in- 
deed, a  bitter  ingredient  in  my  cup  of  life.  From  your 
youth  you  have  manifested  a  moral  depravity,  which  kind- 
ness, good  counsel,  example,  and  all  the  benign  influences 
by  which  I  surrounded  you,  failed  to  antidote.  I  know  you 
to  have  been  a  liar  and  a  thief,  but  what  other  crimes  you 
have  been  guilty  of  during  your  absence  from  this  commu- 
nity, God  only  knows.  I  have  been  a  father  to  you,  and 
you  have  repaid  me  by  the  blackest  ingratitude  and  crime. 
You  have  escaped  the  consequences  of  your  evil  doing,  so 
far  as  I  know,  up  to  this  time,  but  now  you  are  caught  in 
your  own  toils,  in  the  net  which  you  have  been  spreading 
for  others.  The  law  shall  take  its  course,  and  your  com- 
plicity with  this  infamous  conspiracy  to  rob  me,  your  life- 
long benefactor,  shall  be  thoroughly  investigated  ;  and  if 
your  liberty  for  the  rest  of  your  natural  life  is  legally  for- 
feited, as  I  hope  it  will  be— for  serpents  like  you  should 
never  be  free  to  sting  and  injure  their  fellow-men — I  will 
not  raise  a  finger  to  prevent  or  lessen  your  punishment.  I 
now  regard  you  as  a  dangerous  foe  to  society,  and  shall  aid 
all  I  can  in  depriving  you  of  your  power  for  wrong-doing. 
The  law  shall  take  its  course."  So  saying,  the  gentleman 
resumed  his  seat  amid  the  solemn  hush  which  had  fallen 
on  all  while  he  was  speaking. 

From  the  cool  contemptuous  look  on  the  countenance  of 
the  young  man  during  the  denunciation  of  his  relative,  it 
was  expected  that  a  bitter  retort  would  be  the  result,  and 
no  doubt  Esmond  would  have  delighted  in  adding  venom 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  427 

to  the  sting  he  had  already  inflicted,  but  just  as  Mr.  Hast- 
ings concluded  Elsie  re-entered  the  room,  and  the  prisoner, 
catching  her  sorrowful  sympathetic  glance,  dropped  his 
head  on  his  bosom,  and  the  intended  reply  died  on  his 
lips. 

"  If  Elsie  hadn't  entered  just  then  "  he  said  subsequently 
to  an  acquaintance,  "  I'd  have  scathed  the  old  man  so's  he 
wouldn't  have  known  where  he  was  standing." 

The  culprit  really  loved  his  cousin  in  about  the  same  de- 
gree that  he  despised  and  detested  her  father. 

"Now,  Elsie,  my  dear,  remember  we  have  done  forever 
with  that  young  man.  He  is  thoroughly  bad,  and  the  best, 
and  indeed,  only  safe  thing  for  us  all,  is  to  have  him  im- 
mured for  life,  where  he  will  be  compelled  to  do  what  he 
always  objected  to — work." 

"  Uncle,  I  have  met  that  precious  relative  of  ours  some- 
where, I  am  confident,  but  where  I  cannot  recollect ;  and  I 
know  he  remembers  me,  too,"  remarked  "Warren. 

Elsie  said  but  little  on  the  way  home,  for  she  felt  as  if 
her  heart  was  bruised  and  sore.  Pity,  sympathy,  regret, 
and  indignation  by  turns  took  possession  of  her,  and  she 
indeed  felt  that  the  crisis  in  Esmond's  career  had  come  at 
last.  But  another  uneasy  thought  would  intrude  itself  too, 
the  relation  which  Esmond  had  held  toward  Roland.  She 
shuddered  to  think  of  where  that  weak  young  man  might 
have  possibly  been  led  by  his  unscrupulous  companion. 
This  worried  her  so  that  she  was  half  sick  on  reaching  the 
house,  and,  excusing  herself,  retired  to  her  own  room  for  an 
hour,  so  that  she  could  by  solitude  and  thought  calm  the 
perturbation  of  her  mind.  A  carriage  had  been  procured 
and  Mrs.  Wagram  brought  to  the  Hermitage,  where,  safe 
in  her  own  bed,  with  Dr.  Seaman  in  charge  of  the  case  re- 
garding her,  the  young  mistress'  mind  was  easy.  But  some 
step  must  be  taken,  she  felt,  with  regard  to  young  St. 
Johns.  He  must  at  any  cost  have  his  eyes  opened  to  the 


428  THE   ETJSSIAK   KEFUGEE. 

tnie  character  of  Esmond.  Yet  she  shrunk  from  taking 
any  step  which  would  more  widely  publish  to  the  world 
the  family  disgrace.  At  last  Elsie  decided  that  she  would 
at  once  write  to  Mr.  St.  Johns  and  tell  him  the  facts,  and 
hint  that  Roland's  intimacy  with  Esmond  might  be  perilous, 
and  urge  that  it  be  broken  off  promptly,  by  parental  au- 
thority if  necessary.  For  she  was  well  aware  that  her 
astute  cousin  could  easily,  to  a  young  man  of  Eoland's  men- 
tal bias  and  development,  make  his  present  imprisonment 
appear  in  the  light  of  a  farce,  and  himself  a  sort  of  hero  of 
romance,  thwarted  by  an  unkind  fate  in  seeking  to  aid  the 
unfortunate.  To  decide  was  to  act,  with  Elsie,  and  the 
letter  was  soon  written  and  on  its  way.  Then  she  felt 
calmer  and  rejoined  her  friends. 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

"WOES  CLUSTER;    RARE  ARE   SOLITARY  WOES." 

A  WEEK  later,  and  about  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning,  Elsie 
was  on  her  way  to  visit  a  sick  neighbor,  carrying  a  small 
basket  of  dainty  food  for  the  invalid.  The  rude  shock  of 
her  cousin's  disgrace  had  been  partially  softened  by  time, 
and  as  suspicion  only  linked  him  with  Liscomb  as  a  possi- 
ble co-conspirator,  nothing  farther  having  resulted  from 
the  investigation  pursued  so  far,  she  felt  inclined  to  take  a 
more  hopeful  view  of  the  situation.  "  He  certainly  told 
me  that  Liscomb  owed  him  a  large  sum  of  money,  and  it 
may  be  that  he  was  urged  on  to  this  desperate  step  by  the 
hope  that  the  prisoner  if  free,  might  be  able  in  some  way 
to  repay  him." 

This  view  of  the  case  seemed  at  least  plausible,  and  it  made 
her  feel  happier.  To  think  of  one  who  had  been  through 
childhood's  years  and  early  womanhood  as  a  brother,  the 
.  sharer  in  all  her  trials  and  triumphs — as  lost  to  all  hope — 
was  unbearable  to  one  of  her  affectionate  nature.  "  Once  a 
friend,  always  a  friend  "  with  Elsie  Hastings,  and  disloyalty 
even  in  thought  to  anyone  she  had  once  known  and  trusted 
was  impossible,  even  though  every  appearance  seemed 
against  him.  She  took  a  short  cut  leading  through  a  piece 
of  woods.  It  was  a  maple  grove,  and  the  trees  were  mostly 
very  fine  ones.  Hundreds  of  ban-els  of  sap  had  she  seen 
gathered  from  these  saccharine  giants  of  the  forest,  and  in 
the  happy  springs  past  by  she  had  helped  at  many  a 
"  sugaring  off."  And  the  culprit  cousin  now  behind  the 


430  THE   EUSSIAN   KEFUGEE. 

prison  bars  had  been  her  constant  companion  during  these 
frolics.  "Ah,  well,"  she  sighed,  "what  time  does  bring  us 
to  be  sure."  Just  then  she  thought  she  heard  her  name 
mentioned.  Yes,  as  she  stayed  her  steps  an  instant,  the 
word  "  Elsie  "  was  unmistakably  brought  to  her  ear  in  a 
very  low  tone. 

"  Elsie,  may  I  speak  with  you,"  came  after  an  almost  im- 
perceptible pause.  She  trembled  violently,  for  she  thought 
she  recognized  her  cousin's  voice,  and  it  boded  no  good  she 
felt. 

" Is  it  you,  Harry?  "  at  length  she  faltered. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  voice,  a  little  impatiently,  "  I  am  here  by 
the  Elfin  stump.  Come  over  here,  it  will  be  quieter  and 
out  of  observation." 

The  Elfin  stump  had  been  so  christened  by  her  long 
years  before.  It  had  been  a  large  tree,  some  four  feet  in 
diameter,  struck  by  the  lightning  which  had  almost  riven  it 
asunder,  while  subsequent  storms  had  carried  away  the 
upper  two-thirds.  It  had  a  blackened,  weird  aspect,  and 
was  an  object  of  superstitious  dread  to  many  of  the  more 
ignorant  people  round.  For  an  instant  a  half-defined 
dread,  a  natural  womanly  shrinking  from  the  painful  and 
harrowing,  took  strong  hold  of  Elsie,  and  she  felt  like  flee- 
ing incontinently  from  the  spot.  Her  father's  last  words, 
when  speaking  on  the  subject,  "  Kemember,  Elsie,  we  have 
done  forever  with  that  young  man.  He  is  thoroughly 
bad,"  rang  in  her  ears,  and  urged  her  onward  steps. 

Again  came  that  voice  which  could  be  soft  and  tender  or 
harsh  and  brutal,  according  to  the  mood  of  the  owner,  and 
now  the  single  word  "  Elsie  "  was  pleading  and  plaintive 
as  it  came  to  the  perplexed,  hearer. 

Somebody  says  the  soul  lies  in  the  voice.  We  cannot 
see  the  soul  of  our  friend,  but  we  can  hear  it. 

"  Harry,  I  cannot  stay.     I  had  better  not." 

But  those  pitiful  beseeching   tones,  "Just  for  a  mo- 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  431 

merit,  Elsie — you  will  not  refuse  me  this  once  ?  "  again  ar- 
rested her  steps. 

"She  \vho  hesitates,"  says  the  old  proverb,  and  so  it 
proved  in  this  case.  In  a  moment  more  the  young  lady 
was  beside  her  cousin,  who  wrung  her  hand  passionately 
as  he  exclaimed : 

"  I  knew  you  would  not  go  back  on  a  fellow,  Elsie,  but 
give  him  a  chance  to  say  a  word  for  himself." 

"  Harry,"  she  replied,  when  she  could  sufficiently  com- 
mand her  voice,  for  she  felt  nervous  and  anxious,  hardly 
knowing  why,  "  the  occurrences  of  the  past  few  days  have 
been  so  painful  that  it  would  have  been  better  if  we  had 
never  met  again.  You  have  mortally  offended  father,  and 
he  would  not  like  my  being  with  you  now." 

He  interrupted  her  with  something  of  his  old  bravado  : 
"  Well,  didn't  the  old  gent  just  go  for  me !  why,  the  old 
duffer  pitched  into  me  when  I  first  came  back,  though  he 
hadn't  seen  me  for  nearly  ten  years.  I  don't  like  him  for 
one  cent,  if  he  is  my  uncle." 

She  listened  with  amazement  to  this  tirade,  and  her 
cheek  rapidly  changed  from  pale  to  burning  red. 

"For  shame  to  speak  of  your  best  friend  so.  If  you 
have  no  common  gratitude  toward  your  uncle,  you  might 
at  least  exhibit  some  respect  for  a  father  in  the  presence 
of  his  daughter.  I  shall  leave  you  at  once  if  you  utter  an- 
other word  against  a  man  who  is  as  noble,  true,  and  just 
as  you  are  shiftless  and  ungrateful." 

"  Shiftless  and  ungrateful !  This  from  you,  Elsie,  the 
only  woman  I  respect  and  love  ?  But  I  will  not  say  any- 
thing more  against  the — I  mean  my  respected  uncle." 

"Please  explain  what  you  want  with  me,  for  I  must  not 
delay,"  she  said,  impatiently,  for  she  experienced  an  un- 
easiness she  could  not  define.  Something  in  her  compan- 
ion's manner  alarmed  her  ;  his  cheeks  were  flushed,  and 
he  acted  somewhat  as  if  he  had  been  drinking  ;  yet  he 


432  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

•was  not  by  any  means  intoxicated.  But  his  eyes  had  a 
brilliancy,  and  his  manner  an  appearance  of  half-suppressed 
excitement,  which  made  her  regret  having  joined  him. 

"Let  us  talk  as  we  go  on.  You  recollect  this  path  well : 
it  is  parallel  with  the  highway,  and  will  not  be  much  out  of 
your  way." 

He  then  went  on  to  tell  her,  in  rather  a  rambling  way,  that 
he  had  succeeded  in  obtaining  bail,  and  was  a  free  man 
again  ;  that  his  helping  Liscomb  to  escape  was  to  enable 
him  to  procure  some  funds  with  which  to  pay  a  part  of  his 
debt  to  the  speaker.  "I  know  it  was  foolish,  but  I  was 
always  fond  of  excitement,  and  never  counted  risks,  and 
somehow  generally  come  out  on  top,"  he  said,  somewhat 
boastfully. 

His  account  of  matters,  or  explanation,  as  he  called  it, 
and  proposals  for  the  future,  were,  she  could  not  help  think- 
ing, although  her  own  mind  was  in  too  excited  a  state 
to  be  quite  judicial,  singularly  rambling  and  discursive. 
They  had  arrived  at  the  end  of  the  copse,  and  were  about 
to  emerge  into  the  clearing  beyond,  when  Esmond  stopped 
suddenly  and  faced  her. 

"  Elsie,  you  must  be  my  wife.  I  cannot  live  without 
you.  Come  and  be  my  guardian  angel,  and  I  will  reform 
and  be  what  you  will." 

He  stood  before  her  right  in  the  path,  so  that  to  advance 
was  impossible.  A  fierce  glitter  shone  in  his  eyes,  and  a 
half-threatening  lower  of  the  brow  showed  her  that  the 
worst  and  most  reckless  motives  were  in  the  ascendant 
now.  At  first  she  had  flushed  indignantly  when  he  so  ad- 
dressed her,  but  now  her  wish  was  to  avoid  him  and  es- 
cape from  his  power. 

"  Harry,"  she  answered,  quietly,  but  with  visible  effort, 
"you  have  no  right  to  address  me  so.  What  you  speak  of 
you  know  can  never  be.  That  was  settled  before,  and  I 
spoke  plainly  then.  I  would  do  any  reasonable  thing  to 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  433 

help  you  to  a  better  life,  but  this  is  only  a  wild  dream. 
Let  me  pass,  please." 

He  listened  impatiently,  the  frown  deepening  on  his 
brows,  and  as  she  concluded  he  bent  toward  her,  and  hissed 
rather  than  spoke,  his  whole  bearing  indicating  the  deep 
passion  which  possessed  him. 

"  That  is  your  answer,  is  it  ? — now  hear  mine,"  and  in- 
stantly a  handkerchief  was  thrown  over  her  face,  a  hand 
pressed  firmly  upon  her  lips,  and  she  felt  herself  borne 
rapidly  down  the  slope  leading  from  the  woods. 

At  first  the  movement  was  so  sudden  that  she  made  no 
attempt  at  resistance  ;  but  this  passive  condition  was  only 
momentary,  and  theii  she  made  vigorous  efforts  to  free  herself, 
but  soon  found  she  was  but  a  child  in  the  hands  of  Esmond. 
Suddenly  he  stopped,  and  she  heard  whispered  words  and 
the  door  of  a  carriage  opened.  Her  captor,  who  was,  she 
judged  by  his  deep  breathing,  rather  exhausted  from  his 
effort,  then  attempted  to  thrust  her  into  the  vehicle.  She 
resisted  with  all  her  might,  and  she  was  more  than  or- 
dinarily vigorous,  and  in  the  scuffle,  in  which  she  had  to 
oppose  the  united  strength  of  two  men,  the  large  silk 
handkerchief  became  displaced,  and  she  cried  loudly  for 
help. 

The  covering  was  immediately  reapplied  with  a  muttered 
imprecation  on  the  part  of  the  stranger,  for  it  was  not  Es- 
mond's voice,  she  was  satisfied. 

Immediately  the  quick  tramp  of  a  horse  was  borne  to  her 
ears.  Her  captors  heard  it  too,  and  redoubled  their  exertions  ; 
but  the  sound  had  given  her  new  strength,  and  their  efforts 
proved  futile. 

"Hold  on,  there — what  are  you  doing  with  that  lady?" 
rang  out  in  trumpet  tones.  Her  heart  gave  a  great  throb 
of  exultation,  her  grasp  on  the  panels  of  the  carriage  re- 
laxed, and  she  knew  no  more.  The  horseman  who  had  ar- 
rived so  opportunely  reined  up  his  horse  just  as  the  now 


434  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

flaccid,  unresisting  form  of  Elsie  was  thrust  into  the  vehicle 
and  the  door  slammed  to. 

"  Drive  for  your  life  !  "  shouted  Esmond,  as  he  sprung  on 
the  box,  while  his  assistant  stood  on  the  steps,  with  one  hand 
on  the  door-knob  a,nd  the  other  grasping  the  edge  of  the  roof. 

The  driver  lashed  his  horses,  and  away  whirled  the  car- 
riage before  Adolph — for  it  was  he — was  able  to  intercept 
them.  Eapidly  wheeling  his  steed,  the  Kussian  was  after 
them  at  full  gallop. 

In  a  few  moments  he  was  up  with  them,  and  called  loudly 
on  them  to  stop. 

"  Damn  you,"  shouted  Esmond  from  the  box,  "what  busi- 
ness is  it  of  yours  ?  We're  taking  this  woman  to  a  lunatic 
asylum.  You  go  back  in  a  hurry  and  leave  us  alone,  or  it'll 
be  worse  for  you." 

"  I  don't  believe  you,  and  unless  you  stop  I'll  shoot  your 
horses,"  returned  the  horseman,  whose  blood  was  thoroughly 
aroused,  drawing  a  revolver  as  he  spoke. 

"Two  can  play  at  that  game,"  returned  the  other,  who 
unperceived  by  Adolph  held  a  pistol  ready-cocked  in  his 
hand.  A  report  followed,  and  the  Kussian  felt  a  tingling 
sensation  in  his  left  shoulder. 

It  was  down-grade,  and  the  pace  of  the  carriage  horses 
was  terrific  under  the  ready  lash  of  the  driver,  and  taxed 
the  riding  horse  to  keep  up. 

As  Esmond  fired,  the  Kussian,  feeling  he  was  wounded, 
fired  quickly  at  the  off-horse,  Avhich,  springing  up  suddenly, 
dashed  forward  more  rapidly  for  a  few  yards,  and  then 
dropped  in  the  traces,  the  other  tripping  and  falling  over 
him,  the  carriage  overturning  with  the  sudden  shock. 
Esmond  and  the  man  on  the  step  leaped  safely  clear  of  the 
vehicle,  but  the  driver,  not  so  fortunate,  was  heavily  thrown. 
A  scream  came  from  the  carriage,  and  Esmond,  with  white 
face,  sprung  toward  it  and  tore  open  the  door,  which  was 
skyward,  owing  to  the  position  of  the  vehicle. 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  435 

"  Good  God  !  Elsie,  are  you  hurt  ? "  he  gasped,  with 
agony  in  every  feature. 

Adolph,  who  was  carried  on  some  yards  by  the  impetus 
of  his  steed,  now  dashed  back,  checking  the  animal  within 
a  few  feet  of  Esmond,  the  smoking  revolver  still  grasped  in 
his  hand. 

"  Right  that  carriage  and  release  that  lady,  or  by  Great 
Heaven  I'll  shoot  you  down  like  rabbits,"  he  exclaimed, 
with  a  fierceness  of  mien  which  left  no  doubt  in  the  minds 
of  his  hearers  that  he  would  fully  carry  out  his  threat. 

Esmond,  however,  was  too  much  concerned  about  the 
safety  of  his  cousin  to  think  of  anything  else,  and  he  and 
his  partner  worked  feverishly  to  right  the  vehicle,  while, 
like  the  figure  of  Avenging  Fate,  with  the  deadly  weapon 
in  his  hand  pointing  at  them,  stood  the  horseman,  an 
equestrian  statue  of  fierce  determination. 

By  the  exercise  of  all  their  strength  the  two  succeeded 
at  length  in  raising  the  carriage  into  its  proper  position, 
and  as  it  righted,  the  occupant  sprung  quickly  out  of  the 
open  door,  right  in  front  of  Adolph.  Her  head  was  bare, 
and  her  dress  torn  and  disordered  by  the  terrible  experi- 
ence she  had  passed  through,  but  otherwise  she  appeared 
uninjured. 

Astonishment,  sympathy,  and  fiery  indignation  seemed 
to  mingle  in  the  Russian's  countenance,  and  for  a  second 
deprived  him  both  of  speech  and  power  of  action.  At 
length,  with  almost  livid  lips,  he  contrived  to  gasp  the  word 
"  Elsie  !  "  and  then  the  red  blood  rushing  tumultuously  from 
the  life-fountain  suffused  his  face,  as  he  stammered  out, 
"I  mean  Miss  Hastings,"  while  a  wild  impulse  of  passionate 
desire  for  vengeance  seemed  to  sweep  over  him,  carrying 
everything  before  it. 

'•Those  devils  incarnate  !"  and  raising  his  right  hand, 
armed  with  the  instrument  of  death,  he  swung  his  horse 
fiercely  about  to  look  for  her  abductors  and  inflict  swift 


436  THE  RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

vengeance  upon  them.  But  the  others  had  disappeared, 
with  the  exception  of  the  driver,  who  still  lay  senseless  on 
the  ground,  his  head  having  come  violently  in  contact  with 
a  bowlder  on  the  side  of  the  road. 

"  They  shall  not  escape,"  he  exclaimed,  fiercely,  putting 
spurs  to  his  horse.  Bat  as  the  animal  plunged  forward, 
the  thought  of  Elsie,  abandoned  and  neglected,  here  alone, 
came  to  him,  and  he  checked  his  horse  so  suddenly  as  to 
nearly  unseat  himself.  "  Forgive  me ;  I  am  savage  and 
brutal,  but  the  thought  of  this  outrage  almost  maddens  rne." 

He  sprung  from  the  saddle  and  hastened  to  her  side. 
"  Are  you  injured  ?  "  he  asked,  tenderly,  taking  her  hand 
and  looking  into  her  face  anxiously.  "Fool  that  I  am,  of 
course  you  are  hurt.  How  could  you  escape  ? — and  I  in  my 
insane  fury  about  to  abandon  you.  Forgive  me." 

Elsie,  who  had  remained  standing  as  if  rooted  to  the  spot, 
just  where  she  had  landed  on  springing  from  the  carriage, 
rigid  as  stone,  with  eyes  wide  open  and  directed  to  the 
front,  her  left  hand  pressed  over  her  heart,  and  the  right 
extended  straight  out — never  answered  a  word  or  moved  a 
muscle.  Her  hand  lay  cold  and  motionless  in  his  grasp, 
and  she  looked,  indeed,  but  for  the  rose-tint  on  her  lips 
and  cheeks,  as  if  she  were  a  marble  statue. 

"  Oh,  they  have  murdered  you,"  he  moaned,  in  anguish. 
"  Speak  to  me,  my  darling,  my  life." 

And  throwing  his  left  arm  impulsively  around  the  pas- 
sive form,  he  showered  warm  kisses  on  her  brow  and  lips, 
while  hot  tears  fell  upon  the  motionless  face  like  rain. 
The  strong  man  trembled  in  his  deep  agony,  and  all  the 
power  of  his  vigorous  manhood  seemed  to  wilt  and  wither 
in  the  fierce  flames  of  those  few  moments  of  bitter  suffer- 
ing. 

There  are  supreme  moments  in  our  lives,  both  of  grief 
and  joy,  when  the  iron  of  events,  heated  to  a  sevenfold  in- 
tensity in  the  fervid  fire  of  some  harrowing  experience, 


THE   RUSSIAN    REFUGEE.  437 

seems  to  burn  characters  into  the  yielding  soul  never  to  be 
obliterated  while  time  endures.  There  they  stand,  graven 
deeply  into  the  rock  of  our  memory,  as  a  milestone  on 
the  highway  of  being,  a  monumental  pillar  with  the  inef- 
faceable writing  upon  it,  a  new  birthday  tablet  from  whose 
dating  we  begin  henceforth  to  live  or  die. 

Adolph  felt,  in  those  few  moments  of  transcendent  suffer- 
ing, if  we  do  think  at  these  times — and  we  do,  though  auto- 
matically, and  as  it  were  by  an  agency  independent  of  our 
volition,  and  outside  of  ourselves — that  he  never  could  be 
the  same  man  again.  He  was  in  this  dark  experience  dy- 
ing to  his  old  self,  and  the  death-film  obscured  his  vision, 
so  that  no  gleam  of  the  new  life  into  which  he  was  being 
born  as  yet  reached  him.  God  help  us  all  when  we  are 
called  on  to  pass  through  the  dark  valley  of  despair ! 

Elsie,  the  morning  star  of  his  life,  for  such  he  had  called 
her,  and  such,  indeed,  she  had  become  to  him,  was  dead,  so 
he  fully  believed.  She  lay  lifeless  on  his  arm,  and  when 
he  placed  her  tenderly  on  the  ground  and  almost  wildly 
chafed  her  hands  and  tried  to  induce  breathing,  and  met 
no  response  to  his  frantic  efforts,  hope  died  within  him. 
Still,  he  persisted  in  his  labor.  Fetching  water  from  a  lit- 
tle spring  he  knew  of  hard  by,  he  sprinkled  her  face  and 
hands,  working  in  a  very  fever  of  effort. 

So  busily  was  he  engaged  in  his  task  that  he  was  deaf  to 
the  sound  made  by  a  rapidly  approaching  carriage,  and  was 
startled  presently  by  some  one  touching  him  on  the  shoulder, 
saying,  "Can  I  help  you,  sir?  What  is  the  trouble?" 

He  looked  up  in  a  dazed  sort  of  way,  not  ceasing  his 
efforts,  however,  and  saw  a  gentlemanly-looking  man,  who 
was  regarding  him  with  compassionate  eyes. 

"Are  you  a  physician  ?  "  he  inquired,  eagerly,  with  a  be- 
seeching look  which  the  other  never  forgot. 

"  I  have  studied  medicine,  and  walked  the  hospitals  once. 
Let  me  examine  your  patient." 


438  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

The  Kussian  arose,  trembling  visibly  as  he  did  so.  "I 
fear  there  is  no  hope.  She  is "  He  stepped  aside,  look- 
ing the  word  which  his  tongue  refused  to  utter,  and  mo- 
tioned the  other  to  take  his  place  beside  the  prostrate  body. 

The  stranger  knelt  down  and  placed  his  ear  to  the  heart 
of  the  motionless  form.  After  a  minute  of  careful  listen- 
ing, which  seemed  an  age  to  the  Mend  standing  by,  he  rose, 
saying  quietly,  "  She  is  not  dead ;  the  heart  has  still  an 
exact  and  rhythmic,  although  very  deficient,  action.  The 
pulse  is  not  perceptible,  but  there  is  circulation  going  on." 

"Is  that  true?  can  she  live?"  exclaimed  the  anxious  lis- 
tener, clasping  the  other's  hands,  and  looking  as  if  he  were 
himself  deeper  within  the  gray  shadows  6f  the  tomb  than 
the  one  lying  so  calm  and  still  on  the  grass  beside  them. 

"  My  poor  friend,  calm  yourself.  It  is  a  case  of  what 
medical  men  call  'trance,'  and  she  will  most  probably  come 
out  of  it  in  a  few  hours.  She  must  have  experienced  some 
dreadful  shock,  which  has  thrown  her  into  an  hysterical 
condition,  and  this  is  the  culmination.  God  bless  me  !  what 
is  the  matter  ?  "  for  as  he  spoke  a  sudden  pallor  spread  over 
the  face  of  his  listener,  and  the  Eussian  fell  prostrate  on 
the  sod. 

"  Only  a  fainting-fit,"  he  said,  after  feeling  his  pulse,  to 
his  two  companions,  who  had  remained  in  the  background 
standing  by  the  carriage  in  which  they  had  arrived.  "  There, 
that  will  do  ;  lay  him  quite  flat.  Keep  the  head  low — he 
will  come  to  quickly.  These  strong,  healthy  natures  soon 
recover.  What  a  splendid  specimen  of  physical  humanity  ! 
Ought  to  be  an  Englishman — probably  he  is.  Been  some 
bad  work  here  this  morning.  We  must  find  out  what  has 
done  this  mischief.  But,  bless  my  soul !  we  mustn't  leave 
the  lady  lying  there.  Bring  the  carriage  cushions.  Yes, 
that  will  do.  She  will  do  nicely  there.  Fine,  handsome 
girl  she  is.  Have  seen  her  somewhere  before.  Good 
Heavens !  this  is  Miss  Hastings  !  " 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  439 

Two  persons  started  at  these  words.  One  was  the  faint- 
ing man,  who  opened  his  eyes  widely  and  rose  into  a  sitting 
position,  and  the  other  was  the  professional-looking  person 
we  have  met  before,  who  bounded  forward  in  intense  ex- 
citement. Yes,  it  was  the  masquerading  detective,  who  had 
kept  by  the  horses,  holding  them  while  the  others  had  been 
attending  to  the  ailing  ones. 

"  Oh,  mon  Dieu  !  Miss  Elsie,"  and  rushing  forward,  the 
speaker  flung  himself  down  beside  the  senseless  form. 

"  Oh,  great  God  !  is  she  dead  ? — oh,  tell  me  she  is  not 
dead  !  "  he  implored,  after  feeling  the  still  face  and  hands 
with  frantic  eagerness.  "  Mon  Dieu !  it  will  kill  her  father." 

"  No,  she  is  not  dead,  nor  dying,  but  in  a  trance  from 
which  she  will  probably  recover  after  a  while,"  replied  the 
leader,  eying  the  professional-looking  person  curiously,  as 
if  he  already  half  suspected  the  truth. 

Adolph  here  arose  from  the  ground,  looking  weary, 
and  worn,  and  confused,  as  if  trying  to  collect  his  scattered 
thoughts.  Suddenly  his  eyes  rested  on  Elsie's  prostrate 
form,  and  with  a  moan  of  anguish  he  sprung  toward  it 

"  She  must  not  lie  here  a  moment  longer.  You  say  she 
may  live — yes,  she  shall  live,"  he  said,  almost  fiercely.  "  The 
star  of  my  life  cannot  thus  set  in  darkness.  If  father  were 
only  here,  he  could  cure  her." 

These  words  were  spoken  as  if  to  himself,  as  if  he  were 
holding  strong  converse  with  his  own  soul.  And  while 
speaking  he  had  been  moving  about  with  instinctive  energy 
and  adroitness,  preparing  the  carriage  for  the  unconscious 
one. 

The  horse  which  Adolph  had  shot  was  only  stunned,  the 
bullet  having  glanced  on  the  skull,  but  with  sufficient  force 
to  prostrate  the  animal  senseless  for  some  moments.  Now, 
however,  on  being  released  from  the  encumbering  harness, 
it  managed  to  stagger  to  its  feet,  and  the  other  being  unin- 
jured, and  nothing  else  seriously  damaged,  except  the  front 


440  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

part  of  the  carriage,  the  important  parts  escaping,  it  was 
decided  to  utilize  the  vehicle  in  conveying  Elsie  home. 

In  a  few  words  Adolph  put  the  medical  stranger  in  pos- 
session of  the  facts  of  the  attempted  abduction  and  the 
subsequent  incidents,  and  was  amazed  to  hear  him  exclaim 
as  he  finished  the  recital,  "  Wonderful !  Why,  bless  my 
soul,  my  dear  sir,  those  are  the  very  fellows  I  am  after. 
No  doubt  of  it,  your  description  is  correct.  They  are  a 
couple  of  sharpers  who  have  escaped  from  our  claws  in 
England,  and  I  have  been  tracing  them  up  all  over  this  wild 
country  of  yours  for  eight  months." 

Then,  addressing  the  professional-looking  person,  "  Mr. 
Harrington,  you  go  home  with  Miss  Hastings,  and  this  gen- 
tleman— I've  forgotten  your  name,  sir ;  thank  you — Mr. 
Adolph,  will  accompany  you.  Eichard,  you  go  with  me  ; 
they  can  hardly  escape  us  this  time." 

In  a  few  moments  everything  was  so  arranged,  and  Elsie 
lying  on  the  cushions  in  the  carriage.  As  they  were  about 
parting  Adolph  turned  to  the  stranger  and  with  a  lurid  fire 
in  his  eye  observed,  "  Could  you  not  come  with  us  ?  You  are 
a  doctor,  and  we  need  your  services  ;  and  then  I  will  join 
you  in  seeking  those  devils,  and  Heaven  help  them  if  I  find 
them !  Yes,  I  know  every  inch  of  the  country,  and  can  fol- 
low a  trail  like  a  sleuth-hound." 

"  A  good  thought ;  and  you  can  render  us  invaluable 
help,  but  we  dare  not  lose  the  time  or  these  chaps  will  have 
made  cover.  On  foot  they  can  only  have  gone  a  short  dis- 
tance. No,  I  am  not  a  physician,  although  I  have  had  a 
surgeon's  training  in  part  and  know  as  much  as  some  of 
them,  but  the  patient  needs  no  attention  immediately  and 
may  not  for  many  hours.  Take  her  home  and  keep  her  in 
a  well-aired,  well-lighted  room,  and  send  at  once  for  your 
family  doctor,  keeping,  of  course,  a  faithful  nurse  with  her. 
Then  you  can  join  us  at  the  Dyke  House,  or  wait  there  un- 
til you  hear  from  me.  Good-by,"  he  said,  wringing  Adolph's 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  441 

hand  ;  "  don't  be  too  cast  down.  The  young  lady  will  prob- 
ably come  out  all  right." 

So  saying,  the  speaker  and  his  companion  drove  rapidly 
away  in  one  direction,  while  the  other  two  with  their  sad 
burden  turned  their  horses'  heads  toward  the  Hermitage, 
Mr.  Harrington  driving  and  Adolph  in  the  carriage  to 
watch  over  the  unconscious  Elsie.  The  saddle  horse  was 
hitched  to  the  vehicle  behind. 

Once  only  did  either  of  these  two  strangely-brought-to- 
gether  companions  speak  during  the  short  trip  ;  it  was 
when  Adolph  asked,  "  Who  is  that  gentleman  who  has  just 
left  us?"  and  the  other  answered,  "An  English  detective." 

Before  departing  the  Englishman  had  bound  the  uncon- 
scious coachman  hand  and  foot. 


CHAPTER  XXXVI 

NEMESIS. 

"DOCTOR,  can  she  recover?  is  there  any  hope?"  and  the 
father  looked  eagerly  into  the  face  of  the  old  physician. 

"Yes,  she  can,  and  probably  will." 

"  And  be  as  well  as  ever  ?  Be  frank  with  me  ;  remember 
it  is  my  only  child,  but  yet  I  must  know  the  truth,"  and  the 
voice  was  firm,  although  so  husky  as  to  be  hardly  recogniz- 
able for  that  of  the  owner  of  the  Hermitage. 

"Now,  my  dear  Mr.  Hastings,  you  are  asking  too  much. 
In  these  cases  of  catalepsy  or  hysterical  trance-coma 
there  are  several  contingencies  which  have  to  be  guarded 
against,  but  judging  from  the  healthy  nature  of  your 
daughter,  I  think  I  am  justified  in  giving  the  most  favor- 
able prognosis.  I  hope  for  her  complete  recover}7." 

Mr.  Hastings  wrung  his  hand  silently,  unable  to  trust 
his  voice. 

Dr.  Band  had  been  the  family  physician,  and  had 
watched  over  Elsie  from  birth,  and  fortunately  had  been  in 
the  vicinity  when  the  melancholy  cortege  bearing  the  poor 
senseless  girl  had  reached  the  Hermitage,  and  was  at  once 
called  in.  He  had  formerly  resided  in  Melville,  but  for 
the  past  few  years  had  lived  on  a  farm  within  an  hour's 
ride  of  Mr.  Hastings,  gradually  withdrawing  from  active 
practice,  as  he  was  now  past  seventy.  Just  as  he  was  leav- 
ing the  house,  after  giving  full  and  minute  directions  as  to 
Elsie's  treatment,  he  was  touched  on  the  shoulder  by 
Adolph. 


THE   RUSSIAN    REFUGEE.  443 

"Doctor,  before  you  go  will  you  kindly  examine  my 
shoulder.  I  think  I  have  a  bullet  there,  and  it  is  becom- 
ing quite  painful." 

"  A  bullet !  a  bullet !  Is  it  possible,  and  you  keeping  so 
quiet  about  it  all  this  time  !  Let  me  see  it  at  once,"  leading 
the  way  to  a  small  reception-room  off  the  hall.  "  Ton  my 
word,  young  man,  you  have  a  great  deal  of  endurance  and 
courage.  Why,  that  must  have  hurt  you  badly !  "  exclaimed 
the  old  physician  as  he  gazed  with  critical  eye  at  the  swol- 
len tissue.  "  Ploughed  right  through  the  fleshy  part  of  the 
deltoid  and  just  escaped  the  edge  of  the  glenoid  cavity. 
Lucky  fellow  !  an  eighth  of  an  inch  more  and  we  should  have 
had  a  fracture  of  the  joint.  Aha  !  here's  the  mischief-maker 
just  under  the  skin  on  the  posterior  aspect.  Can  you  bear  a 
little  cutting  ?  Of  course  you  can.  Any  man  that  can  bear 
a  wound  like  that  for  an  hour  without  squealing  can  endure 
anything,"  and  while  he  was  speaking  the  old  surgeon  had 
cut  deliberately  down  on  the  bullet  and  in  a  moment  had 
it  in  the  jaws  of  his  pocket  forceps.  "  Aha !  pretty  firmly 
imbedded.  Don't  move.  Yes,  here  it  is — a  thirty-eight 
calibre,  at  the  least,"  holding  the  lump  of  lead  before  his 
patient.  "That  fellow  shot  to  kill.  Do  you  know  who  he 
was  ?  " 

"  The  affair  was  so  sudden,  and  the  excitement  while  it 
lasted  so  intense,  that  really  I  didn't  notice  the  fellows  as 
closely  as  I  ought  to  have  done,  but  I  shall  meet  them 
again,  for  I  am  off  as  soon  as  you  have  dressed  my  wound, 
to  aid  the  detectives  in  hunting  them." 

"Nonsense  ;  you  mustn't  think  of  such  a  thing,  with  that 
shoulder ;  you  must  keep  quiet  or  you  may  have  serious  in- 
flammation." 

But  remonstrances  were  vain,  for  in  ten  minutes  the 
wounded  man  was  on  the  road  to  the  place  of  rendezvous. 

On  arriving  at  the  Dyke  House  he  found  the  two  detec- 
tives awaiting  him. 


444  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

"  Glad  to  see  you,  Mr.  Adolph,  again,  and  if  you  know  the 
twists  of  this  confounded  country,  I  shall  be  only  too  glad 
to  submit  to  your  guidance,"  said  the  leader,  grasping  him 
warmly  by  the  hand.  "  Fact  is,  the  fellows  know  the  re- 
gion and  have  taken  to  hiding.  Haven't  been  on  any  of 
the  regular  roads  at  all." 

The  Kussian  remained  silent  a  moment,  and  then,  as  if 
having  decided  something  in  his  mind,  exclaimed  vehe- 
mently, "I  have  it !  They  are  in  the  gopher  hole.  You 
must  take  to  saddle  and  I  will  guide  you." 

In  a  brief  period  the  three  horsemen  were  on  the  way  to 
the  "gopher  hole,"  having,  at  Mr.  Happens'  suggestion,  for 
it  was  he,  partaken  hastily  of  some  refreshment.  Adolph 
demurred  somewhat  at  the  detention,  so  eager  was  he  to 
be  on  the  road,  but  yielded  to  the  sententious  remark  of 
the  other,  that  "  No  man  can  fight  well  on  an  empty  stom- 
ach." 

The  gopher  hole  was  a  sort  of  cache  or  hollow  in  the 
rocky  wall  which  formed  one  side  of  the  bed  of  a  mountain 
stream  which  rushed  tumultuously  through  the  winding 
course  nature  had  riven  for  it  by  volcanic  agency  and  the 
periodical  attrition  of  mud,  sand,  pebbles,  and  bowlders 
which  mingled  in  the  flood  of  spring  and  early  summer. 
During  the  rest  of  the  year  the  stream  bed  was  dry,  and 
only  then  was  the  cache  accessible.  Its  existence  was 
known  only  to  a  few  hunters  and  trappers,  and  it  was  diffi- 
cult of  access.  Adolph  and  Hiram  both  knew  it  well,  hav- 
ing frequently  taken  refuge  there  from  sudden  storms 
when  out  hunting. 

"  Take  care  !  Stoop  as  you  pass  along  here,  for  you  can 
be  seen  from  the  gopher  at  this  point,"  said  the  Kussian, 
as  suiting  the  action  to  the  word,  he  crawled  rather  than 
walked  along  a  ledge  leading  obliquely  to  the  entrance  of 
the  hiding-place. 

The  others  carefully  followed  his  example,  and  soon  the 


THE   RUSSIAN   EEFUGEE.  445 

three  were  in  close  proximity  to  the  den.  They  had  been 
obliged  to  leave  the  horses  some  distance  away  tied  to  con- 
venient saplings.  So  carefully  had  they  conducted  their  ap- 
proach that  no  sound  had  apparently  reached  the  outlaws, 
judging  from  the  stillness  which  prevailed. 

"  I  fear  we  have  had  our  labor  for  nothing,"  whispered 
the  Englishman. 

The  Russian  answered  by  pointing  to  a  slender  jet  of 
smoke  which  was  curling  up  lazily  from  the  mouth  of  the 
cache. 

"Hist!  Down  on  your  faces  !  "  and  the  warning  came 
none  too  soon,  for  a  bullet  whistled  in  unpleasant  proximity 
to  the  party  as  they  crouched  on  the  pathway. 

"Now  give  them  a  volley  right  in  the  mouth  of  the  den," 
said  the  detective,  who  here  seemed  to  realize  the  situation, 
and  at  once  took  charge.  Simultaneously  three  reports 
rang  out,  making  echoes  in  every  direction. 

"  There  is  no  way  of  escape  for  you  but  by  this  path,  as 
you  well  know,"  shouted  the  detective,  having  been  so  in- 
formed by  Adolph.  "If  you  wish  to  save  your  lives  sur- 
render at  once." 

A  negative  to  this  proposition  was  at  once  entered  by  a 
second  shot  from  the  gopher  hole. 

"Say,"  whispered  the  other  detective,  a  remarkably  silent 
man,  who  during  the  trip  had  only  spoken  when  directly 
addressed  ;  "  I  hev  a  s'picion  as  to  who  one  of  them  fellers 
is.  I've  been  'quiring  around  an'  find  that  the  newy  of  the 
old  man  down  the  big  house  jest  worships  the  ground  thet 
young  woman  walks  on — her  thet's  lying  good  as  dead 
yonder.  Yer  see  thet  too,  in  his  trying  to  tote  her  off  in 
thet  kerrige.  Now,  'pears  to  me  thet  ef  he  knew  she  be 
pooty  near  done  for,  owing  to  him,  he'd  kinder  wilt  an' 
mebbe  listen  to  reason." 

Happens  listened  patiently  and  brightened  at  once. 

"  There's  something  in  you,  Grubbs,  after  all."     And  in  a 


446  THE   EUSSIAN    REFUGEE. 

whisper  to  Adolph,  "  I  brought  him  along  because  he's  as 
strong  as  a  horse  and  as  brave  as  a  lion,  but  didn't  go  much 
on  his  head." 

They  were  crouching  behind  a  projecting  rock  which 
sheltered  them,  and  yet  gave  them  control  of  the  mouth  of 
the  outlaws'  hiding-place.  So  the  detective  decided  to  try 
and  parley  once  more,  and  leaning  forward  as  far  as  he 
deemed  prudent  he  called  out  in  a  clear  voice,  and  as  they 
were  only  some  forty  feet  distant,  he  knew  his  words  would 
be  easily  heard : 

"It  is  no  use  fighting  against  fate.  We  are  bound  to 
take  you,  boys,  if  it  requires  a  week,  and  I  wouldn't  care, 
only  for  that  poor  dying  girl  that  we  carried  a  couple  of 
hours  ago  to  the  Hermitage.  A  nice  sight  for  the  poor 
father,  seeing  his  daughter,  that  left  the  house  healthy  and 
strong,  carried  home  as  good  as  dead." 

"  It's  a  damned  lie  !  "  shouted  a  voice  from  the  cache  ;  "  I 
saw  her  jump  out  of  the  carriage  myself." 

The  agitation  of  the  speaker  was  manifest  in  the  trem- 
bling of  the  voice,  and  the  detectives  exchanged  smiles  with 
each  other  at  the  startling  admission  conveyed  in  the 
words. 

"  What  you  say  is  true,"  replied  Lippens,  "  but  I  give 
you  my  solemn  word,  that  she  hasn't  moved  or  spoken 
since.  The  shock  paralyzed  her,  and  if  she  is  not  already 
dead,  her  life  hangs  on  a  thread." 

A  deep,  hollow  groan  came  from  the  den,  and  presently 
a  step  was  heard  and  a  man  staggered  forth,  holding  one 
hand  pressed  to  his  forehead  and  the  other  extended  be- 
seechingly toward  the  besieging  party.  His  face,  Adolph 
could  see,  was  drawn  and  white,  and  his  eyes  seemed  to  be 
protruding  from  their  sockets. 

"  For  God's  sake,  men,  if  you  are  human,  is  Elsie  dead  ; 
can  it  be  that  I  have  killed  her  ?  "  Here  his  pistol  dropped 
from  his  nerveless  grasp,  for  he  had  been  holding  it,  muz- 


THE   KUSSIAN    HEFUGEE.  447 

zle  down,  as  if  unconscious  that  he  held  it  at  all,  and  at  the 
same  instant  Lippens  leaped  forward  and  seized  him. 

"  Tell  me,  tell  me  the  truth  about  Elsie  !  I  surrender  ; 
do  with  me  as  you  please,  but  tell  me  truly,  does  she  live  ?  " 

So  piteously  did  the  pale  face  plead  that  even  the  experi- 
enced detective  was  touched,  while  Adolph's  desire  for 
vengeance  died  away,  and  his  own  intense  grief  was  soft- 
ened as  by  sympathy  in  presence  of  so  much  abject  misery. 

"Miss  Hastings  is  just  alive,  and  that  is  all.  She  lies 
motionless  as  a  piece  of  that  rock  yonder." 

Could  this  nerveless,  wilted,  utterly  feeble  and  woe-be- 
gone  piece  of  humanity  be  the  gay  and  scornful  Harry  Es- 
mond, the  man  who  believed  in  using  his  fellows  as  so 
many  pawns  to  help  him  win  his  game  and  checkmate  his 
opponents  ? 

The  truth  was  that,  like  Achilles  of  old,  this  singularly 
resolute  and  ruthless  man  had  been  struck  by  the  arrow  of 
fate  in  the  only  vulnerable  point  in  his  hardened  nature 
— the  love  for  his  cousin  ;  for  difficult  as  it  may  seem  to 
reconcile  his  conduct  with  such  a  sentiment,  Harry  Esmond 
loved  Elsie  with  all  the  intensity  of  a  strong,  undisciplined 
nature.  She  had  been  his  boyhood's  admiration,  his  man- 
hood's passion,  and  the  determination  to  make  her  his  wife 
never  wavered,  let  such  consummation  be  arrived  at  in  what 
way  it  might.  Her  positive  refusal  to  view  him  in  the  light 
of  suitor  did  not  turn  him  from  his  settled  purpose.  It 
galled  and  exasperated  him,  to  be  sure,  but  largely  because 
he  suspected  her  partiality  to  another,  and  that  other  he 
felt  satisfied  was  the  Russian,  Adolph.  But  this  discovery 
of  an  obstacle  in  his  path  was  only  the  prelude  to  concert- 
ing measures  for  its  removal. 

His  detection  and  subsequent  incarceration  for  attempt- 
ing to  free  Liscomb  upset  his  plans  for  a  time,  and  it 
was  during  his  detention  in  prison  that  he  conceived  the 
project  of  abduction.  Baffled  in  the  attempt,  there  waa 


448  THE  KUSSIAN   KEFTJGEE. 

nothing  for  him  but  to  hide  until  the  storm  blew  over. 
Never  supposing  his  cousin  had  been  injured,  his  only 
thought  had  been  how  to  escape  arrest,  when  the  appalling 
words  of  the  detective  reached  him,  and  caused  him  at  once 
to  forget  his  personal  safety  in  an  overwhelming  anxiety 
for  the  fate  of  her  he  had  so  fearfully  wronged. 

Sceptical  and  distrustful  in  a  phenomenal  degree  as  he 
was,  yet  there  was  something  in  the  voice  of  the  officer 
which  came  to  him  as  truth,  and  at  once  remorse,  despair, 
anguish  seizing  upon  his  soul  as  so  many  fiends,  lifting 
him  for  the  time  out  of  himself,  had  scattered  his  ordinary 
selfishness,  prudence,  and  sagacity  to  the  winds.  His  men- 
tal agony  was  indeed  harrowing  to  witness.  He  writhed 
as  if  in  the  grasp  of  some  unseen  demon,  so  that  his  captor 
with  difficulty  retained  his  hold  on  him ;  then,  with  a  quick 
movement,  twisting  himself  loose  and  stepping  forward, 
picked  up  his  fallen  weapon,  and  before  Lippens  could 
prevent  him,  placed  it  at  his  temple  and  pulled  the  trigger. 
The  charge  exploded,  but  the  bullet  struck  the  rock  above, 
scattering  some  fragments  at  their  feet,  and  the  next  in- 
stant the  pistol  was  wrenched  from  the  would-be  self-mur- 
derer, and  he  was  securely  handcuffed. 

The  assistant  had  stolen  quietly  forward,  and  unseen  by 
Esmond  was  standing  close  by  when  the  attempt  at  suicide 
was  made  ;  yet  so  sudden  had  been  the  movement  that 
he  had  only  time  to  strike  down  the  raised  elbow  of  the 
prisoner  violently  with  his  own  pistol,  and  so  diverted 
the  direction  of  the  death-messenger.  A  second  later, 
and  the  young  man  would  have  paid  the  penalty  of  his 
crime,  or  crimes— prisoner,  judge,  and  executioner— all 
in  one. 

"  The  game's  up ;  come  out ! "  shouted  the  detective  in  the 
direction  of  the  cache. 

"I  s'pose  I'll  hev  to,  but  if  that  blasted  fool  hadn't 
turned  soft  we'd  a  fixed  yer.  But  three  ag'iu'  one's  not 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  449 

fair  play."     So  saying,  the  other  culprit  came  grumblingly 
forward  and  gave  up  his  weapon. 

Adolph  recognized   him  at  once  as  the  man  who    had 
stood  on  the  step  of  the  carriage  after  thrusting  Elsie  into 
it.     He,  too,  was  safely  manacled,  and  the  captors  and  capt- 
ured left  the  scene  of  the  arrest  for  the  jail  at  Melville. 
29 


CHAPTER  XXXVH. 

OCCULT    THERAPEUTICS. 

DR.  SEAMAN  arrived  at  the  Hermitage  a  short  time  after 
the  old  physician  left  and  at  once  proceeded  to  Elsie's  room, 
where  Mrs.  "VVagram  was  watching  her  with  a  mother's  de- 
votion. He  started  at  first  on  recognizing  her  as  his  detec- 
tive patient  of  the  squire's  office,  and  then  frankly  gave  her 
his  hand  and  inquired  after  Elsie's  condition.  She  gave 
him  as  clear  and  succinct  a  statement  as  she  knew,  and 
then  he  examined  the  still  unmoving  form  of  his  cousin. 

"Undoubtedly  a  case  of  catalepsy  induced  by  shock,"  he 
said  to  his  uncle.  "  Nothing  can  be  done  but  to  watch  her 
closely  and  keep  the  room  well  ventilated  and  at  a  tempera- 
ture of  about  sixty.  Plenty  of  fresh  air  is  the  all-important 
thing.  I  will  try  and  meet  Dr.  Rand  on  his  next  visit." 

"  But,  Warren,  how  long  may  this  condition  last  ?  When 
shall  we  look  for  a  change  ?  "  inquired  the  anxious  parent. 

"If  it  continues  very  long  we  shall  then  have  to  institute 
measures  to  restore  her,  but  for  the  present  I  should  not 
advise  it.  Now,  uncle,  you  must  not  worry  yourself  ;  she 
will  come  to  all  right,  I  have  little  doubt,  as  she  seems  to 
have  sustained  no  injury  so  far  as  I  can  tell  at  present. 
She  has  such  a  naturally  strong,  healthy  constitution  that  I 
have  every  hope  in  the  case." 

"  But  she  does  not  seem  to  breathe  at  all,  and  I  cannot 
feel  any  pulse,"  urged  his  uncle,  who  seemed  to  have  grown 
many  years  older  within  the  past  few  hours. 

"  That  is  true,  my  dear  sir,  but  yet  respiration  and  cir- 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  451 

dilation  are  going  on  regularly,  and  quite  sufficient  to  main- 
tain life.  She  must  be  kept  well  covered  so  as  to  secure  a 
uniform  warmth.  My  advice  is,  not  to  interfere  at  present, 
but  give  nature  a  chance.  However  I  will  consult  with 
Kand  about  it  this  afternoon." 

When  Dr.  Kand  arrived  at  the  Hermitage  he  was  accom- 
panied by  Dr.  Seaman,  and  the  two  at  once  proceeded  to  the 
room  of  the  young  mistress  of  the  establishment.  After 
spending  a  few  moments  there  they  retired  for  consultation, 
and  when  their  deliberations  were  over  sent  for  Mr.  Hastings 
and  told  him  that  they  coincided  in  not  taking  any  active 
measures  until  the  following  morning.  They  found  Adolph 
awaiting  them  in  the  hall  and  eager  to  know  the  state  of 
the  patient.  Mr.  Hastings  grasped  his  hand  warmly,  thank- 
ing him  earnestly  for  what  he  had  done  for  his  child, 
although  the  full  extent  of  the  obligation  he  was  not  aware 
of,  neither  did  he  know  that  his  own  nephew  was  the  cause 
of  all  his  present  woe.  Seaman,  on  being  introduced,  was 
much  impressed  with  the  frank,  manly  bearing  of  the 
Russian,  and  asked  to  be  permitted  to  examine  his  wounded 
shoulder.  Mr.  Hastings  urged  him  to  remain  in  the  house 
for  a  day  or  two,  that  he  might  have  proper  surgical  atten- 
tion. 

"  I  dare  not  accept  your  kindness,  on  account  of  my 
father.  He  is  much  distressed  about  this  matter,  and  at  his 
great  age  it  would  not  take  much  to  snap  the  feeble  thread 
of  his  life." 

"  Surely,"  said  Seaman,  a  sudden  thought  striking  him — 
"  surely  you  are  not  the  son  of  that  wonderful  old  man  I 
have  heard  of  who  has  lived  upward  of  a  century  ?  " 

"Yes,"  replied  the  other,  his  eyes  kindling,  "I  have  the 
honor  to  be  his  unworthy  sou.  But,  dear  friends,  I  must 
not  delay  ;  yet,  if  Mr.  Hastings  will  allow,  I  will  come  here 
morning  and  evening  to  have  rny  arm  looked  after  by  these 
gentlemen." 


452  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

This  was  gladly  agreed  to  by  all ;  but  the  old  surgeon 
smiled  to  himself  as  he  thought  how  little  place  the  wound 
had  in  bringing  the  gentleman  there  twice  a  day,  having 
borne  the  presence  of  a  painful  injury  and  an  irritating 
lump  of  lead  for  several  hours  without  a  single  complaint. 

"He's  a  born  soldier,  that  fellow.  I  like  him  im- 
mensely," he  remarked  to  Dr.  Seaman,  in  parting  from 
him,  after  discussing  the  peculiarities  of  the  Kussian's 
wound. 

Elsie's  condition  remained  unchanged  all  night,  and  the 
physicians  determined  to  make  some  attempt  to  arouse 
her.  The  elder  one  left  the  selection  of  agents  or  modes 
of  operation  entirely  to  his  younger  colleague,  as  being 
fresher  from  his  studies  and  more  conversant  with  new 
methods  in  surgery  and  therapeutics.  So  Seaman  decided 
to  try  the  effects  of  the  cold  douche  on  the  head,  hoping 
by  the  sudden  impulse  given  to  the  nervous  and  arterial 
systems  to  "  arouse  the  sensorium  and  awaken  the  cerebral 
mass  and  heart  into  action."  At  least  that  was  the  way  he 
expressed  it  to  his  senior.  But  although  this  was  faith- 
fully tried  as  long  as  deemed  safe  or  judicious,  no  result 
followed.  Elsie  was  as  lifeless,  apparently,  excepting  the 
slight  color  in  her  cheeks,  as  the  couch  she  lay  on.  Dr. 
Rand  hinted  at  "firing,"  but  Seaman  shrunk  from  such 
seemingly  harsh  measures  except  as  a  last  resort,  on  ac- 
count of  his  uncle's  sensibility.  In  the  afternoon  some 
other  efforts  were  made  to  break  the  dread  death-like  stu- 
por in  which  this  hitherto  vigorous  young  life  was  en- 
chained ;  but  all  in  vain — every  effort  proved  futile. 

Regularly,  morning  and  evening,  Adolph  came  to  the 
Hermitage  with  eager,  questioning  face,  bringing  the 
choicest  flowers  and  ferns  and  mosses  that  were  to  be 
had  in  garden  or  field  at  that  late  season,  for  the  fall  was 
well  advanced  and  winter  near.  It  was  a  question  among 
the  observers  as  to  which  of  the  two,  the  Russian  or  the 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  453 

father,  showed  the  wearing,  depressing  effects  of  this  fear- 
ful ordeal  most.  Certainly,  the  mental  strain  was  terrible 
in  both  cases. 

On  the  fourth  day  the  condition  was,  to  all  outward  ap- 
pearance, unchanged,  except  that  a  slight  shrinking  of  the 
soft  tissues,  and  a  barely  perceptible  pinching  of  the  feat- 
ures, might  be  observed,  as  if  the  exact  balance  between 
waste  and  repair  were  not  maintained.  The  physicians  re- 
fused to  admit  this,  but  the  sharp  eyes  of  love  saw  it,  or 
felt  it,  and  Mr.  Hastings  became  correspondingly  dejected. 
Everything  known  to  medical  science  had  been  tried,  even 
the  "  firing,"  although  this  was  only  known  to  those  who 
conducted  it.  Skill  seemed  imbecile  in  the  presence  of 
this  counterfeit  death. 

"Mr.  Hastings,"  said  Adolph,  "father  says,  now  that  the 
doctors  have  failed,  he  would  like  to  visit  Miss  Hastings. 
You  know  he  was  educated  for  a  physician,  and  really  he 
has  remarkable  skill  in  many  ways.  With  your  permission 
we  will  be  here  in  this  room  at  eight  this  evening,  by  a 
method  you  understand." 

Mr.  Hastings  cordially  agreed,  and  somehow  for  the  rest  of 
the  day  seemed  more  hopeful,  although  he  could  hardly  say 
why.  Oh,  this  hope  deferred  !  How  long  the  day  seemed ! 
How  wearily  dragged  the  hours  until  eight  o'clock  arrived ! 
Mr.  Hastings  entered  the  library  just  as  the  French  clock 
on  the  mantel  was  striking  the  hour,  and  found  the  ex- 
pected guests  awaiting  him.  Grasping  the  hand  of  the 
ancient  Russian  fervently,  for  a  moment  his  emotion  choked 
his  utterance. 

"  My  son,"  said  the  old  man,  laying  his  left  hand  sooth- 
ingly on  the  shoulder  of  the  stricken  parent,  "  believe  me, 
my  heart  is  with  you  in  this  sad  trial,  and  keeps  pulse  of 
hope  or  anxiety  with  yours.  May  I  see  the  dear  child  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  responded  the  other,  regaining  his  self-possession 
by  an  effort.  "Your  presence  is  indeed  a  comfort  to  me  in 


454  THE  RUSSIAN   KEFUGEE. 

this  the  saddest  hour  of  my  life.  She  thought  so  highly  of 
you.  The  doctors  insist  she  is  not  dead  ;  but  what  can  I 
think  when  for  four  days  my  child  has  lain  without  the 
slightest  movement  or  sign  of  life— no  breath,  no  pulse  ? 
What  more  is  death  than  that  ?  "  And  here  the  heavily  bur- 
dened heart  could  hold  up  no  longer,  but  sinking  into  a 
chair,  he  covered  his  face  with  his  hands  and  sobbed  aloud. 

The  ancient  man  sat  down  beside  him. 

"  My  dear  friend,  the  word  of  the  physicians  should  be 
accepted  by  you.  They  could  not  deceive  you  in  such  a 
matter.  The  visit  of  the  dark  angel  is  sometimes  strangely 
simulated,  and  the  counterfeit  resemblance  casts  a  shadow 
on  the  heart,  when  the  real  is  nowise  nigh  the  dwelling. 
Death  has  many  brothers  with  strong  family  likeness,  but 
to  none  of  them  does  he  intrust  his  well-filled  quiver. 
Surely,  I  believe  it  is  only  a  peaceful,  harmless  likeness  of 
the  dread  monarch,  and  not  the  king  himself,  who  has 
kissed  the  dear  child  into  such  absolute  quietude." 

"  Thank  you,"  said  the  listening  one,  on  whose  bruised 
heart  the  words  fell  like  balm,  and  rising,  he  passed  his 
arm  through  that  of  the  aged  guest,  and  followed  by  Adolph, 
in  obedience  to  a  sign  from  Mr.  Hastings,  these  three  passed 
up-stairs,  and  into  the  presence  of  the  unconscious  maiden. 

Mrs.  Wagram  was  in  attendance,  and  so  was  Ellen,  who 
came  up  as  soon  as  Seaman  informed  her  of  the  condition  of 
Elsie,  and  had  remained  since,  giving  the  watchful  care  of 
a  loving  sister. 

The  father  and  Adolph  halted  a  few  feet  from  the  bed, 
the  latter  covering  his  face,  as  if  the  first  glance  at  that  ir- 
responsive face  had  overpowered  him.  But  the  Patriarch 
advanced  calmly  to  the  bedside,  and  gazed  earnestly  at 
the  recumbent  figure,  without  moving,  for  two  or  three 
moments.  Then  stooping,  he  put  his  face  very  close  to 
hers,  at  the  same  time  laying  his  hand  on  hers,  passively 
lying  across  her  bosom.  In  a  brief  time  he  raised  himself, 


THE   RUSSIAN   EEFUGEE.  455 

and  said  quietly,  as  if  speaking  to  himself  :  "  'Tis  the  ether 
of  life,  not  of  death,  that  enshrouds  her,  and  the  '  aura '  is  a 
vital  one."  Then  turning  to  the  father  and  others  in  the 
room,  he  said,  quietly,  "  Dear  friends,  will  you  retire  just 
outside  the  room,  so  that  the  power  of  one  individuality 
may  be  concentrated  upon  our  beloved  one  here,  who  sleeps 
so  sweetly,"  adding,  as  if  in  excuse  for  his  request :  "  The 
presence  of  many  anxious  hearts  dissipates  and  diffuses 
force,  and  so  tends  to  prolong  and  deepen,  rather  than  re- 
lieve, the  lethargy.  One  voice  only  can  reach  the  inner 
chamber  of  the  enthralled  spirit  and  tell  the  slumberer 
that  fond  hearts  need  her  presence  in  the  outer  life." 

So  saying,  he  looked  toward  his  son,  holding  out  his 
hand.  Adolph  gave  him  at  once  a  little  case  which  he  car- 
ried, and  then  retired,  with  the  others,  just  outside  the 
room,  the  two  doors,  leading  the  one  into  a  dressing-room 
and  the  other  into  the  hallway,  remaining  as  they  were, 
wide  open. 

Eagerly  they  watched  this  ancient  sage  as,  taking  from 
the  case  a  small  instrument  somewhat  resembling  the 
violin,  he  laid  it  upon  the  table  near  the  bed,  and  then 
turned  toward  the  sleeper.  The  eyes  had  remained  widely 
open  since  the  moment-  of  the  attack,  but  to  shield  them 
from  the  light  and  possible  harm,  the  physicians  had  or- 
dered a  piece  of  soft  silk  to  be  laid  lightly  over  them. 
This  the  Patriarch  now  gently  removed,  and  gazed  directly 
for  a  full  minute  into  the  sightless  orbs.  Still  fixing  his 
gaze  as  before,  he  then  placed  his  right  hand  on  her  fore- 
head and  his  left  over  her  heart.  Thus  he  stood  for  at  least 
five  moments,  as  immovable  as  the  patient.  Suddenly  he 
lifted  his  gaze  from  the  quiet  face  in  the  direction  of  the 
watching  friends,  until  it  rested  upon  his  son. 

"  Father  wishes  us  to  stand  a  little  farther  back — our  in- 
fluence is  still  felt,"  said  Adolph,  in  a  whisper,  moving,  as 
he  spoke,  back  into  tHe  other  room  and  half  closing  the 


456  THE   KUSSIAN   KEFUGEE. 

door,  the  others  having  moved  with  him,  and  the  door 
leading  into  the  passage  was  also  half  closed. 

Almost  at  once  rose  a  strain  of  delicious  music  which 
greeted  the  ears  of  the  listeners  like  a  benediction.  It  gave 
them  a  feeling  of  ineffable  peace,  and  filled  them  with  hope, 
they  knew  not  why.  A  melody  sweet  and  soothing  seemed 
to  fill  the  air,  now  full  and  rich  and  satisfying,  and  then 
light  and  delicate  as  the  zephyrs  of  the  pines  in  the  early 
summer  clays.  It  rose  and  fell  in  mellow  cadences,  swell- 
ing in  supernal  harmony,  and  filling  the  soul  with  con- 
solation and  exceeding  comfort,  then  soft  and  tender  as 
the  cooing  of  wild  doves.  Finally  it  came  to  the  ear  like  a 
prayer — a  very  flood  of  beseeching  rhythm  and  eloquent 
entreaty.  The  last  strains  seemed  to  sound  the  fitting 
amen,  and  then  a  deep  silence  fell  on  all.  It  was  the  hush 
of  expectancy. 

No  one  there  could  have  interpreted  the  thought  and  put 
it  into  words  ;  but  one  thought  was  there,  and  one  only. 
Somehow,  no  one  felt  any  shock  of  astonishment,  but  only 
that  sense  of  deep  peace  and  satisfaction  which  comes  to 
us  when  faith  is  justified  and  trust  is  changed  to  sight,  as  the 
voice  of  the  old  man  broke  the  silence,  saying  :  "  Do  you 
know  me,  my  daughter  ?  " 

A  hardly  perceptible  pause  to  the  painfully  strained  ears, 
and  then— O  Glory  to  God  in  the  highest !— "  Yes  ;  but 
where  am  I?"  reached  them  in  response. 

The  voice  was  that  which  for  four  long  days  had  been 
silent,  and  now  every  tone  thrilled  through  the  hearts  of 
the  listening  ones  as  though  'twere  the  speech  of  one  just 
from  the  invisible  presence. 

Again  the  old  man's  voice  was  heard  in  answer:  "You 
are  safe  at  home,  my  child,  and  now  you  must  yield  to  me 
and  sleep  for  a  while,"  and  here  Ellen,  who  on  hearing 
Elsie's  voice  had  started  involuntarily  forward  a  half- step 
into  the  room,  stopping  abruptly  as  a  warning  glance  of 


THE  RUSSIAN    REFUGEE.  457 

the  Patriarch  met  her,  saw  him  make  sundry  passes  over 
the  face  of  the  still  recumbent  maiden. 

As  he  made  the  passes  with  the  right  hand,  regarding 
her  fixedly  meanwhile,  his  other  hand  rested  lightly  on  her 
pulse.  Presently,  looking  toward  Mrs.  Seaman,  he  said, 
with  a  smiling  face,  in  a  low  tone  :  "  She  sleeps — come  and 
sit  by  her  until  she  wakes." 

Then  the  aged  man  moved  slowly  into  the  adjoining  room, 
where  his  son  and  Mr.  Hastings  were. 

"How  is  my  child?"  said  the  anxious  parent,  almost 
feverish  with  excitement. 

"  She  lies  in  a  natural  slumber.  The  spell  binding  her 
vital  forces  is  broken,  and  she  will  awake  in  health,"  re- 
turned the  venerable  Russian,  in  a  voice  which  indicated 
great  exhaustion. 

"  Father,  you  must  lie  down  at  once  and  be  quiet.  You 
are  tired.  May  he  rest  on  this  lounge,  Mr.  Hastings  ?  " 

"  Forgive  my  selfish  thoughtlessness — certainly,  lie  here 
if  you  prefer  it.  You  look  tired.  Mrs.  Wagram,  bring  a 
pillow  for  this  gentleman." 

"Thanks,  a  thousand  times  ;  this  is  what  I  prefer,  as  I 
should  like  to  be  near  the  dear  child  when  she  awakes. 
Now  leave  me  alone  for  an  hour,  and  then  I  shall  be  myself 
again." 

Pressing  his  hand  gratefully,  Mr.  Hastings  retired,  leav- 
ing Adolph  with  his  father. 

Entering  his  daughter's  room  softly,  he  noiselessly  passed 
to  the  bedside,  and  saw  a  decided  change  for  the  better.  A 
feeling  of  unspeakable  gratitude  welled  up  in  his  soul  as  he 
saw  her  lying  naturally  on  the .  right  side,  having  a  healthy 
flush  on  the  cheek,  and  breathing  perceptibly  and  regularly. 
How  different  from  the  rigid  death-like  inertia  in  which  he 
had  last  beheld  her,  this  calm,  healthful  repose  ! 

"Thank  God  !"  he  whispered,  pressing  Ellen's  hand,  and 
then  stole  from  the  room. 


458  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

He  was  joined  in  a  few  moments  by  Adolph. 
"  Your  dear  father  has  again  given  me  my  child,  I  think. 
How  can  I  thank  you  both  ?  "  and  tears  of  grateful  emotion 
stood  in  the  eyes  of  the  proprietor  of  the  mansion. 

"  Hush,  my  dear  sir— Heaven  gives  and  takes.  We  are 
only  too  glad  to  be  its  humble  instruments.  My  father 
loves  Miss  Elsie  as  a  daughter  ;  but  who  knowing  her  loves 
her  not?"  returned  the  younger  man,  with  heightened 
color. 

Just  then  Dr.  Seaman  entered,  saying,  eagerly :  "  Any 
change  ? "  and  then,  catching  a  glimpse  of  Mr.  Hastings' 
hopeful  face,  exclaimed  :  "  She  is  better,  is  she  not  ?  — she 
has  come  to  ?  " 

"  Yes  ;  she  emerged  from  that  awful  state  of  rigidity  ami 
seeming  death  about  ten  minutes  since,"  answered  his 
uncle. 

"  Thank  Heaven  for  that.  But  how  is  her  mind — I  mean 
her  condition  ?  Is  she  rational  ?  " 

"  She  is  in  a  natural  slumber,  and  the  friend  through 
whose  agency  this  great  relief  has  come  requests  that  she 
shall  not  be  disturbed  until  she  spontaneously  awakens." 
And  the  gentleman  then  narrated  the  event  of  the  evening 
from  the  arrival  of  the  Patriarch. 

The  nephew  listened  with  much  interest. 
"  These  cases  are  beyond  us,  I  frankly   own,  and  it  is 
always  problematical  as  to  the  methods  by  which  the  slug- 
gish sensorium  can  be  roused  into  action.     However,  this  is 
good  news  indeed.     Where  is  Ellen  ?  " 

"Up-stairs  with  Elsie,  watching  until  she  awakes." 
"  How  is  your  shoulder,  Mr.  Adolph  ?  " 
"  Almost  well ;  at  least,  I  do  not  notice  it,"  returned  that 
gentleman,  smiling.     "We  hunters  don't  think  much  of  a 
scratch  or  so." 

"  You  must  be  very  vigorous  to  be  able  to  consider  that 
a  scratch.  But  won't  you  introduce  me  to  your  father  be- 


THE    RUSSIAN    REFUGEE.  459 

fore  I  leave  ;  I  am  very  anxious  to  meet  him,  and  he  is  of 
my  profession,  too." 

Before  Adolph  could  answer  the  aged  Russian  entered 
the  room,  and  taking  Mr.  Hastings  by  the  hand,  said  :  "I 
have  just  come  from  the  dear  child  and  think  it  is  better  to 
let  her  rest  until  morning.  So  just  let  someone  remain  with 
her  while  she  sleeps." 

"  Father,  this  is  Miss  Elsie's  cousin,  Dr.  Seaman,"  said  the 
younger  Russian. 

The  sage  clasped  the  extended  hand. 

"A  noble  profession  yours,  my  son.  May  you  worthily 
fulfil  its  duties." 

Seaman  regarded  this  man  of  one  hundred  and  twenty 
years  with  the  liveliest  professional  interest. 

"  You  too,  sir,  are,  I  understand,  a  disciple  of  the  healing 
art,  and  have  succeeded  up-stairs  where  we  signally  failed." 

"  Success  and  failure  are  only  relative  terms,  my  young 
friend ;  no  true  soul  wholly  fails,  and  none  are  successful 
single-handed.  A  long  life  has  given  me  wide  experience, 
and  a  careful  study  of  the  phenomena  of  life  has  taught 
me  some  of  the  secret  laws  by  which  nature  controls  and 
governs.  In  the  case  of  the  dear  daughter  up-stairs,  I 
have  merely  followed  in  the  line  of  nature's  workings,  and 
she  has  crowned  my  humble  efforts  with  success.  She  de- 
mands a  rigid  obedience,  but  that  yielded,  her  disciples 
may  demand  almost  anything  at  her  hands." 

"Trust  me,  I  do  not  ask  through  idle  curiosity,  but 
would  you  mind  giving  me  some  clew  to  the  means  you 
adopted  in  this  case  ?  "  said  the  physician  with  a  frank  ear- 
nestness which  seemed  to  please  the  ancient  guest,  who 
quietly  answered  : 

"  Every  human  being  has  some  point  of  susceptibility  in 
his  or  her  nature  which,  under  peculiar  conditions  that 
may  render  all  else  inert  and  passive,  remains  alert  and  ac- 
tive and  liable  to  impression  from  external  sources.  For 


460  THE  RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

convenience,  let  us  term  this  the  curve  of  sensibility, 
coming  nearer  the  surface  of  the  individuality,  even  as  in 
the  delicate  integument  covering  the  ends  of  the  fingers  or 
the  lips  some  loops  of  exquisitely  sensitive  nerve-tissue  are 
much  nearer  the  surface  than  others,  and  so  give  earliest 
warning  of  what  the  parts  may  come  in  contact  with.  To 
treat  successfully  such  a  case  as  that  of  your  cousin,  it  was 
necessary  to  know  these  curves  of  peculiar  sensibility,  and 
then  seek  appropriately  to  impress  them.  A  violent  shock 
experienced  by  her  some  months  ago,  and  the  phenomena 
attending  her  restoration,  revealed  to  me  such  a  point,  and 
put  me  in  possession  of  a  key  by  which  I  hoped  to  unlock 
the  mystery  of  her  lethargic  condition.  The  result,  as  you 
know,  has  fully  justified  my  judgment.  I  hope  to  enjoy 
further  conversation  with  you  shortly,  but  I  would  suggest 
that  you  now  visit  the  dear  patient,  and  convince  yourself 
of  her  safe  condition,  without  awakening  her."  So  saying, 
the  old  man  cordially  pressed  the  physician's  hand,  and  he 
at  once  sought  his  cousin's  chamber. 

On  returning,  ten  minutes  later,  he  found  his  uncle  alone, 
the  two  Eussians  having  left  the  house.  To  his  nephew's 
eager  questioning  Mr.  Hastings  returned  such  evasive  re- 
plies that  the  other  smiled,  saying,  "  I  understand — the  old 
mystery  of  last  spring.  Well,  he  is  a  royal  old  gentleman, 
and  no  impertinent  curiosity  of  mine  shall  annoy  him." 

"  But,  Warren,  what  do  you  think  of  Elsie  now  ?  "  in- 
quired the  father,  a  little  anxiously,  for  the  tension  of  the 
last  few  days  had  been  so  great  that  he  could  hardly  as 
yet  relax  his  anxiety  as  to  the  ultimate  result. 

"Doing  nicely,  uncle.  I  do  not  think  you  need  have 
any  fear  whatever.  Her  skin  is  cool  and  moist,  and  the 
breathing  easy  and  natural.  She  will  probably  wake  up  in 
a  few  hours  feeling  weak  and  hungry,  and  then  give  her 
some  bland,  simple  food." 

"  Cannot  you  remain  with  us  to-night  ?    It  is  now  past 


THE    RUSSIAN    REFUGEE.  461 

eleven  o'clock,  and  your  wife  being  here  you  have  nothing 
to  call  you  home,  Warren,  have  you  ?  " 

"  Impossible,  my  dear  uncle.  I  must  be  in  my  office,  for 
I  have  a  case  which  may  send  for  me  at  any  moment,  but 
I  will  be  here  in  the  morning  bright  and  early.  See  that 
Ellen  gets  some  sleep,  will  you,  as  she  cannot  safely  sit  up 
all  night."  So  saying,  the  doctor  with  all  the  responsibility 
of  an  onerous  and  exacting  profession  upon  him,  left,  and 
presently  his  cab  wheels  were  heard  grinding  the  gravel  as 
he  drove  rapidly  down  the  avenue. 

The  medical  profession  is  indeed  a  slavish  one,  and  the 
conscientious,  general  practitioner  can  rarely  call  an  hour 
his  own.  His  bills  sometimes,  to  the  unthinking,  appear 
large,  but  in  most  cases  they  do  not  anything  like  represent 
the  same  return  for  labor  and  anxiety  that  law,  commerce, 
and  many  other  occupations  receive.  A  conscientious 
medical  man  who  has  carefully  prepared  himself  for  his 
work,  and  then  faithfully  pursues  it  without  fear  or  favor, 
has  no  superior  among  the  world's  workers,  and  deserves 
well  of  his  race. 


CHAPTEK  XXXVIH. 

THE  AVENGER. 

ELSIE  slept  soundly  until  about  four  o'clock,  and  then 
awoke  and  asked  for  a  drink.  Acting  according  to  directions, 
she  was  given  a  glass  of  milk,  which  she  drank  with  appar- 
ent relish,  and  opened  her  eyes  for  a  moment,  but  without 
speaking  sank  again  into  a  quiet  slumber.  At  six  she 
again  awakened,  and  after  taking  another  cup  of  milk,  ex- 
pressed herself  as  feeling  well  and  asked  for  her  father, 
lu  a  moment  he  was  beside  her. 

"  Oh,  father,"  she  said,  fondly  taking  his  hand  and  kiss- 
ing it,  "I  seemed  to  have  been  ever  so  far  away,  and  could 
not  make  you  hear  me.  But  the  music  came  to  me  and 
brought  me  back.  I  have  been  in  the  cave,  haven't  I  ?  But 
where  is  the  Patriarch?  Why,  I  saw  him  only  a  little 
while  ago ! " 

"  Yes,  my  dear,  he  was  here  only  a  short  time  since. 
How  are  you  feeling  ?  Do  you  suffer  any  pain  ?  " 

"  No,  not  pain  exactly,  but  I  feel  so  stiff  when  I  try  to 
move.  But  where  have  I  been  ?  Oh,  I  remember,  I  was  in 
the  woods.  But  things  seem  confused  after  that,"  and 
here  she  looked  so  troubled  that  her  father  anxiously  tried 
to  change  the  current  of  her  thoughts  by  asking  if  she  did 
not  wish  some  breakfast.  She  did  not  seem  to  understand 
him,  but  looked  anxious  about  something,  and  suddenly 
drawing  her  father  down,  threw  her  arm  round  his  neck, 
and  whispered  :  « Is  everybody  safe— the  Exile  and— and 
Mr.  Adolph  ?  " 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  463 

"Yes,  my  dear,"  responded  her  parent,  not  noticing  her 
heightened  color.  "  They  have  done  so  much  for  us,  both 
of  them.  But  you  must  rest  quiet  now  and  not  talk  any 
more  until  you  have  eaten  something." 

She  relaxed  her  clasp  and  sank  back  on  the  pillow,  clos- 
ing her  eyes  languidly. 

In  a  short  time  Mrs.  Wagram  brought  in  a  light  break- 
fast, which  the  patient  ate  with  relish,  and  then  wanted  to 
rise,  saying  she  felt  as  well  as  usual.  She  was  finally  per- 
suaded to  remain  as  she  was  until  the  doctor  arrived. 

Seaman  soon  appeared,  and  after  a  critical  examination, 
declared  himself  delighted  with  her  condition,  and  gave 
permission  for  her  being  dressed  in  a  loose  wrapper,  and 
placed  in  an  arm-chair  by  the  window.  He  found  that 
Elsie  had  a  very  confused  and  fragmentary  memory  of  what 
had  led  to  her  illness,  and  had  been  most  of  the  time  un- 
conscious, or  at  least  only  occasionally  sensible  of  hearing 
voices  afar  off,  which  she  only  partially  recognized. 

"  My  recollection  after  the  woods  is  not  clear,"  she  said, 
"  but  I  think  it  will  clear  up  after  a  while." 

After  breakfast  Mrs.  Wagram  asked  an  interview  with 
Mr.  Hastings  in  the  library,  which  he  willingly  granted,  as 
there  were  many  points  in  connection  with  past  events 
which  were  very  obscure  to  him,  and  which  he  was  led  to 
believe  she  could  explain. 

"You  must  have  thought  my  conduct  lately  as  being  very 
strange  indeed,"  she  began,  hesitatingly. 

"Well,"  said  the  gentleman,  gravely,  "we  have  been  so 
surrounded  by  mysteries  recently  that  nothing  seems  to  fol- 
low the  usual  channels.  I  shall  be  glad  if  you  can  throw 
any  light  on  matters,  Mrs.  Wagram." 

Her  dark  eyes  flashed  with  suppressed  excitement,  and 
the  color  showed  through  the  deep  olive  of  her  cheek,  as 
she  went  on  with  nervous  abruptness.  "  So  long  as  Miss 
Elsie  was  in  danger  I  thought  it  best  to  keep  quiet,  but  now 


464  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

it  is  right  to  speak.  You  remember  that  English  detective 
who  called  here  first  some  months  ago  ?  " 

Mr.  Hastings  nodded  assent,  and  a  cloud  darkened  his 
brow  at  the  recollection.  His  companion  quickly  noticed 
his  expression. 

"  You  doubted  him,  and  connected  him  in  your  mind 
with  the  robbery  ?  "  she  asked,  and  again  he  bowed  his  head 
assentingly.  "  You  were  wrong.  That  man  was  just  what  he 
claimed  to  be,  and  I  have  the  proofs ;  but  of  that  further  on. 
You  perhaps  also  recollect  the  second  man  who  called,  rep- 
resenting himself  also  as  a  detective,  and  the  partner  of  the 
other  ?  That  was  the  bogus  one,  the  real  deceiver,  and  it 
was  on  the  information  obtained  by  him  that  morning  that 
the  robbery  was  committed." 

"Is  it  possible  that  you  know  this,  Mrs.  Wagram — and 
you  speak  confidently?  But  proceed." 

"How  I  know  it  will  appear  later  on,  but  believe  me, 
Mr.  Hastings,  it  is  a  knowledge  which  has  cost  me  much. 
However,  when  I  found  out  that  it  was  on  the  information 
skilfully  drawn  from  me,  and  in  consequence  of  my  absent- 
ing myself,  that  the  robbery  was  committed,  I  resolved,  with 
all  a  woman's  determination,  to  right  the  wrong,  so  far  as 
in  me  lay,  and  if  possible,  bring  the  thief  to  justice.  Your 
nephew  Esmond  arrived  shortly  afterward,  and  do  not  con- 
demn me  if  I  say  I  hated  him  from  the  moment  I  laid  eyes 
on  him.  My  instinct,  if  I  may  so  term  it,  told  me  he  was  bad, 
and  wild  as  it  may  sound  to  you,  I  suspected  him  of  being 
in  some  way  connected  with  the  burglary.  You  look  aston- 
ished, and  no  wonder,  but  I  watched  him  as  a  cat  would  a 
mouse,  and  finally  I  found  a  thread,  which,  following,  put 
me  in  possession  of  facts  in  the  double  life  he  was  leading, 
inciting  me  to  i-edoubled  vigilance.  I  shadowed  him,  and 
so  skilfully  that  he  did  not  suspect  me.  How  should  he, 
indeed?  It  was  not  likely  that  he  should  suspect  the 
plainly-dressed  young  man  that  so  often  came  across  his 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  465 

path  by  accident,  to  be  Mr.  Hastings'  housekeeper."  Here 
the  Frenchwoman  laughed  gleefully,  as  if  she  enjoyed  the 
remembrance  of  her  adventures.  "  Forgive  me,  Mr.  Has- 
tings, but  the  memory  of  how  I  checkmated  that  bad  young 
man  is  very  pleasant  to  me.  But  let  me  explain.  My  hus- 
band was  a  detective,  and  he  trained  me  to  help  him,  and 
many  a  time  I  have  accompanied  him,  dressed  in  a  suit  of 
his  clothes,  on  very  dangerous  expeditions.  I  was  consid- 
ered the  best  female  detective  in  New  York  up  to  the  time 
of  my  husband's  death.  When  he  was  taken  from  me  I 
gave  up  the  work  and  accepted  my  present  position  with 
you.  So  you  see  it  was  very  easy  indeed  for  me  to  play 
the  part  I  have  done  recently.  But  I  must  hasten  with  my 
story.  When  the  attempt  was  made  to  swindle  you  out  of 
your  property  I  became  aware  of  the  conspiracy,  and  knew 
the  guilty  parties,  but  failing  to  obtain  all  the  necessary 
links  of  evidence,  could  do  nothing  to  hinder  the  trial ;  but 
when  by  the  testimony  of  that  old  man  you  triumphed  over 
your  enemies,  then  I  saw  my  opportunity.  The  old  pre- 
tender personating  Liscomb,  I  was  satisfied  was  only  a  weak 
tool  in  the  hands  of  a  sharper  knave,  and  I  felt  confident 
that  eventually  I  could  induce  him  to  confess.  His  supe- 
rior, suspecting  something  of  the  kind,  made  a  desperate  at- 
tempt to  free  him,  and  would  have  succeeded,  but  that  I 
discovered  the  plot.  I  laid  my  plans  so  that  I  could  arrest 
them  both  after  leaving  the  prison.  How  I  succeeded  you 
know." 

"  Then  you  believe  my  nephew  to  have  originated  the 
plot  to  rob  me  of  the  Hermitage  ?  "  interrupted  Mr.  Hast- 
ings. 

"  Yes ;  and  now  all  the  proofs  are  in  my  hands.  His  ac- 
complice has  confessed,  has  turned  states  evidence,  and 
swears  that  he  was  cajoled  and  bribed  into  the  part  he 
has  taken.  He  held  out  stubbornly,  but  finally  I  found  a 
means  of  overcoming  his  scruples,  and  Harry  Esmond 


463  THE   EUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

stands  as  a  convicted  swindler  and  forger,  as  I  know  him 
to  be  a  burglar." 

The  Frenchwoman  spoke  the  latter  sentences  with  a  vin- 
dictiveness  and  ill-concealed  triumph  which  fairly  startled 
her  hearer,  who  felt  how  different  in  resolution  and  ag- 
gressiveness was  this  woman,  from  the  quiet,  unassuming 
person  she  had  always  seemed  in  his  household.  He  half 
shrank  from  one  who  could  pursue  a  fellow-creature  with 
such  tireless  energy  for  the  sole  purpose  of  vengeance. 
She  seemed  to  divine  something  of  his  feeling,  and  smiled 
satirically  as  she  remarked  :  "  I  am  afraid  you  think  me  very 
cruel  and  unwomanly,  and  not  fit,  perhaps,  to  be  any  longer 
a  member  of  your  household.  Be  it  so,  I  expected  this.  But 
much  as  I  shall  regret  leaving  you  and  Miss  Elsie,  yet  I 
would  pay  the  penalty  ten-fold  to  be  able  to  expose  and 
punish  the  arch  villain  who  made  a  weak  tool  of  me,  to 
further  his  bad  purposes." 

Many  persons  will  forgive  anything  sooner  than  wounded 
self-esteem.  Stab  them  there,  and  you  arouse  their  worst 
passions  and  incur  their  deadly  hatred.  Mrs.  Wagram  was 
one  of  these,  and  she  would  have  gone  through  flames  to 
obtain  satisfaction  on  an  enemy  who  had  so  wounded  her. 

"  There  is  much  to  excuse  jour  bitter  feeling  toward 
that  dissolute  and  criminal  young  man,  but  pray  go  on  with 
this  strange  history.  I  fear  I  have  not  heard  the  worst," 
said  Mr.  Hastings,  quietly. 

She  continued :  "  He  secured  your  deed  from  Mr. 
Whitely  and  altered  it  to  suit  his  purposes,  as  shown  at  the 
trial,  and  now  sworn  to  by  his  dupe  and  tool,  Liscomb. 
But  he  is  a  professional  gambler  as  well,  and  I  have  good 
reason  to  believe  has  robbed,  by  his  skill  in  this  way,  Mr. 
Roland  St.  Johns  of  large  sums.  You  little  suspected  too, 
when  that  English  detective  called  on  you,  that  he  was  in 
pursuit  of  your  own  nephew  for  a  forgery  committed  in 
London  a  year  ago,  but  such  was  the  case,  and  that  is  the 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  467 

principal  charge  against  him  now,  and  will  result  probably 
in  his  extradition  and  a  taste  of  English  justice.  One  more 
point  in  the  history  of  crime,"  and  here  for  the  first  time 
since  beginning  her  narrative  Mrs.  Wagram  hesitated,  and 
showed  a  disinclination  to  proceed. 

"  Why  do  you  hesitate — let  me  know  all  ?  "  said  her 
hearer. 

"  Yes,  it  is  right  you  should  know  all,"  she  said,  and  re- 
sumed her  former  manner.  "  Well,  then,  when  this  young 
man  found  himself  foiled  and  about  to  feel  the  fangs  of  the 
law  he  had  so  long  outraged,  he  determined  on  a  last  su- 
preme attempt  to  retrieve  his  position.  He  resolved  to  se- 
cure bail  by  one  means  or  another,  and  once  free,  compel  his 
cousin  to  marry  him,  even  if  he  had  to  carry  her  off  by 
force/' 

She  paused,  appalled  by  the  look  which  had  come  into  her 
companion's  face. 

"  Go  on,"  he  said,  hoarsely. 

"  Yes,  he  obtained  bail,  and  then  planned  the  abduction 
of  your  child.  Again  he  was  foiled.  You  know  the  rest." 

The  father  covered  his  face  with  his  hands  for  a  mo- 
ment, and  then  looking  up  with  a  countenance  livid  with  con- 
flicting emotions,  said,  in  a  choking  voice,  that  sounded 
strange  and  unnatural  to  his  hearer  :  "  God  may  forgive 
him,  but  I  never  will." 

Both  were  silent  for  a  brief  space,  and  naught  could  be 
heard  but  the  ticking  of  the  mantel  clock,  and  the  deep 
breathing  of  the  Frenchwoman,  who  had  spoken  vehemently 
and  was  somewhat  excited.  Yes,  a  good  deal  excited,  but 
outwardly  comparatively  calm.  For  this  explanation  was 
the  culmination  of  long  months  of  plotting  and  planning 
and  scheming  which  had  made  her  life  a  whirl  and  a  dis- 
traction. Had  it  been  an  ordinary  bit  of  detective  work  for 
wages,  such  as  she  had  done  again  and  again  years  ago,  it 
would  have  been  so  different.  But  this  was  a  personal  mat- 


468  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

ter,  in  which  all  her  deeper  feelings  were  enlisted,  and  which 
indeed  in  a  sense  would  determine  her  future.  Now  that 
her  confession  was  made,  although  the  exciting  sense  of  a 
complete  triumph  was  hers,  yet  she  felt  sick  and  weary,  and 
the  natural  physical  and  mental  reaction  from  the  severe 
strain  to  which  she  had  been  subjected,  began  to  tell  upon 
her.  Mr.  Hastings  divined  something  of  this,  and  rising,  he 
took  her  hand,  saying  kindly  :  "  This  is  neither  the  time,  nor 
perhaps  the  place,  to  express  the  deep  sense  of  obligation  for 
what  you  have  done  for  us.  Believe  me,  I  am  not  ungrate- 
ful, but  you  are  not  well,  and  must  retire  to  your  room  and 
rest,  or  else  after  the  terrible  experience  you  have  had, 
serious  results  to  your  health  may  follow." 

She  seemed  much  gratified  at  his  words,  and  simply  re- 
sponding, in  a  feeble  voice,  "  Thank  you,  I  am  not  feeling 
very  bright,"  she  handed  him  a  package  of  papers,  and  left 
the  room. 

The  papers  proved  to  be  carefully  kept  notes  of  the  suc- 
cessive steps  she  had  taken  while  shadowing  Esmond,  and 
also  the  confession  which  Liscomb  had  made  and  which 
was  duly  signed  by  him. 


CHAPTEE  XXXIX. 

THE  WAY  OF  THE  TRANSGRESSOR ! 

THE  Hermitage  was  once  more  at  rest,  and  the  inmates 
pursuing  again  the  ordinary  paths  of  life.  Elsie  had  con- 
valesced rapidly,  and  at  the  end  of  a  week  was  seemingly  as 
well  as  ever.  Her  memory  seemed  to  be  a  blank  from  the 
moment  of  springing  from  the  carriage,  to  the  instant  when 
her  eyes  rested  on  the  Patriarch's  face,  as  with  seductive 
melody  he  had  wooed  her  back  to  conscious  life  and  all 
that  that  expressed  to  her  affectionate  heart.  Twice  had 
the  aged  man  been  to  see  her  since,  and  altogether  these 
ten  days  had  passed  very  pleasantly  in  spite  of  the  sad 
thoughts  which  would  obtrude  concerning  her  cousin. 
She  felt  that  he  was  lost  to  them  forever,  and  must  pay  the 
penalty  his  conduct  had  earned.  And  yet  she  had  a  tender 
regret  for  her  childhood's  companion,  and  even  now  would 
try  and  help  him,  had  it  been  possible.  Once  during  these 
ten  days  he  had  written  to  her,  imploring  a  word  of  for- 
giveness, if  she  still  lived — for  he  had  been  purposely  kept 
in  ignorance  of  her  recovery — cursing  his  mad  folly  for 
what  he  had  done,  promising,  if  she  only  lived,  and  forgave 
him,  to  give  the  rest  of  his  life  in  expiation  of  his  crime 
against  her. 

"I  love  you,  and  you  only  in  the  world,  Elsie,  and  would 
cheerfully  sink  the  rest  of  the  race  to  hell  to  save  you,"  he 
wrote,  in  the  bitterness  of  his  self-accusations. 

She  handed  the  strange  epistle  to  her  father  with  some 
tears,  and  asked  him  to  answer  it,  and,  as  a  last  favor  to  the 
unhappy  culprit,  tell  him  she  was  well  again. 


470  THE   EUSSIAN    REFUGEE. 

Mr.  Hastings  wrote  a  curt,  sharp  note,  simply  stating, 
that  in  spite  of  his  infamous  attempt,  his  child  had  come 
up  from  the  borders  of  the  grave,  but  should  never  see 
him  more.  "You  are  an  outlaw,  and  must  meet  the  fate  of 
outlaws,  now  that  justice  has  you  safely  in  its  clutches.  I 
suppose  I  should  express  gratitude  for  the  exception  you 
make  in  favor  of  my  daughter,  when  you  speak  of  consign- 
ing all  the  rest  of-  us  to  perdition,  but  I  thank  you  not. 
Tour  crime  toward  her  proves  the  utter  baseness  of  your 
soul,  and  the  hopelessness  of  reforming  you.  My  only  hope 
is  that  never  again  may  you  have  the  liberty  to  injure  your 
fellows." 

Mr.  Hastings  subsequently  coincided  with  Mr.  St.  Johns 
and  the  local  authorities,  that  as  the  charges  against  Es- 
mond in  England  were  sufficient,  supported  as  they  were 
by  ample  evidence,  to  insure  him  penal  servitude  for  many 
years,  it  would  be  better  to  avoid  publicity,  considering 
his  relation  to  the  Hastings'  family,  and  not  to  press  the 
home  prosecution. 

"  My  advice  would  be,"  said  the  lawyer,  "  to  allow  his 
extradition,  and  hold  the  charges  for  conspiracy,  abduction, 
etc.,  as  a  continual  menace  against  him,  in  case  he  should 
ever,  attempt  to  return  here." 

So  it  was  decided,  and  the  prisoner  so  informed.  The 
culprit  manifested  some  relief  at  the  announcement,  not 
wholly  unalloyed,  however,  as  he  intimated  that  he  pre- 
ferred American  to  English  law,  of  which  latter  he  seemed 
to  entertain  a  wholesome  dread.  However,  the  information 
of  his  cousin's  recovery  seemed  to  give  him  such  joy,  that 
his  naturally  gay,  careless  manner,  which  had  utterly  de- 
serted him  during  the  suspense  he  had  been  in  regarding 
her  fate,  returned,  and  such  petty  matters  as  trial,  impris- 
onment, and  criminal  charges  seemed  to  be  entirely  for- 
gotten. 

The  one  redeeming  point  in  this  singularly  hardened 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  471 

character  seemed  to  be  a  devoted  attachment  to  his  cousin, 
strange  and  grossly  selfish  as  had  been  his  manifestation  of 
it.  Perhaps,  after  all,  as  one  sings,  "In  the  worst  there's 
some  spark  of  a  nature  divine."  Harry  Esmond  dropped 
out  of  the  life  of  the  Hermitage  family  almost  as  suddenly 
as  he  had  entered  it  a  few  months  previously,  but  life  to 
one  member  at  least  was  a  shade  darker  forever  after,  than 
it  had  been  before.  Why  is  it  that  so  many  fitted  by  nat- 
ure to  adorn  and  bless  the  world,  selfishly  choose  to  curse 
it,  and  leave  the  "  trail  of  the  serpent "  wherever  they  go  ? 
Arthur  Liscomb,  for  there  seemed  no  doubt  but  that  the 
claimant  to  the  Hermitage  estate  was  really  the  son  of  the 
notary,  when  brought  to  trial,  confessed  that  he  had  been 
the  weak  dupe  of  Esmond,  who,  meeting  him  in  the  mining 
regions  of  Australia,  and  ascertaining  who  he  was,  devised 
the  plot  to  deprive  Mr.  Hastings  of  his  propei'ty.  The  ac- 
complished gamester,  forger,  and  burglar,  for  he  was  either 
according  to  opportunity  or  inclination,  soon  initiated  the 
weak  and  rather  dissipated  Liscomb — who  had  led  a  roving, 
dissolute  sort  of  existence,  and  now  in  advanced  life  was 
ready  for  anything  which  promised  money  to  satisfy  his 
wants — into  the  crooked  path  of  crime,  until  he  had  ac- 
quired a  complete  mastery  over  him.  After  maturing  the 
details  of  the  plot,  which  involved  obtaining  first  sufficient 
funds  to  carry  out  the  enterprise,  and  secondly,  securing 
the  deed  to  the  estate,  which  he  knew  his  uncle  kept  in  a 
particular  drawer  at  the  Hermitage,  Esmond  set  sail  for 
America  by  way  of  England.  In  the  latter  country  he  ex- 
pected to  "write"  himself  into  funds  sufficient  to  replenish 
his  almost  exhausted  exchequer.  Having  unbounded  con- 
fidence in  his  own  ability  and  adroitness,  he  entertained 
no  doubt  of  being  able  to  bring  matters  to  such  a  pass, 
that  his  cousin  would  marry  him  to  save  the  homestead  to 
her  father.  It  was  apparently  a  rather  wild  dream,  but  his 
fertility  of  invention,  and  latent  power  of  resources,  had,  he 


472  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

argued  to  himself,  never  yet  failed  him,  at  least  since  his 
manhood.  In  London,  by  means  of  a  skilfully  forged  let- 
ter and  draft,  he  succeeded  in  victimizing  a  wholesale 
house,  having  large  dealings  with  a  Melbourne  firm,  to  the 
amount  of  five  hundred  pounds.  With  this  sum,  supple- 
mented by  the  winnings  of  a  few  games  of  poker,  he  was 
on  his  way  to  Liverpool  en  route  for  the  United  States, 
when  accident  placed  him  in  the  same  compartment  with 
Seaman,  who  became  very  unpleasantly  impressed  by  his 
action  and  manner  in  a  little  incident  which  occurred  on 
the  trip.  Esmond  was  thoroughly  disguised,  but  the  voice 
and  eyes  were  indelibly  fixed  in  the  doctor's  memory, 
hence  the  unpleasant  scene  of  their  meeting  at  the  Her- 
mitage. 

"  I  was  certain  I  had  met  him  before,  and  under  unpleas- 
ant circumstances.  And  to  think  we  have  the  same  blood 
in  our  veins.  I  feel  like  bleeding  myself  to  syncope,  if  it 
would  help  matters.  I  hope  you  are  not  ashamed  of  your 
husband,  darling  ?  "  Seaman  said  to  his  wife. 

Her  answer  of  coui-se  satisfied  him  on  that  ground,  but 
it  was  some  time  before  the  physician  could  reconcile  him- 
self to  the  fact  of  the  obnoxious  relationship. 


CHAPTER  XL. 

REVELATIONS. 

MY  DEAREST  ELSIE  :  How  joyous  I  feel  to  hear  that  yon  are 
yourself  again.  I  did  not  know  of  your  terrible  illness  until  yester- 
day. What  an  awful  thing  it  was.  But  how  did  it  happen  ?  I  have 
not  yet  heard.  Isn't  it  dreadful  ahout  Mr.  Esmond  V  Oh,  I  can 
hardly  hold  my  pen  when  I  think  of  how  he  has  swindled  poor 
Roland.  Why,  he  trusted  him  like  a  brother.  I  am  choked  with 
indignation  to  think  how  he  won  large  sums  of  money  from  him. 
Quite  all  his  pocket  money,  I  feel  sure  ;  Roland  has  hinted  as  much. 
Poor  boy,  he  does  feel  so  bad.  But  I  will  make  it  up  to  him  when 
I  sell  my  mining  stock.  I  didn't  tell  you  I  bought  a  number  of 
shares  in  a  valuable  mine  in  Australia,  from  which  we  expect  great 
things.  I  made  each  of  the  girls  buy  some  shares,  and  it  has  taken 
all  we  could  scrape  up  in  any  way  to  pay  the  assessments.  But  Ro- 
land told  me  that  his  friend  from  whom  or  through  whom  he  pur- 
chased our  shares  said  that  all  mines  cost  at  first,  and  then  pay  by 
handf uls.  But  I  must  find  out  more  about  the  matter  from  Roland, 
and  the  name  of  the  agent  ;  I  shall  insist  on  knowing  that  at  once. 
Perhaps  you  would  like  to  buy  a  few  shares  ;  if  so  I  think  I  might 
get  some,  though  I  understand  there  are  none  on  the  market  now. 
Now,  write  to  me,  my  dear,  and  tell  me  all  about  your  shocking  ex- 
perience. 

Yours,  with  a  loving  kiss, 

AMELIA  ST.  JOHNS. 

Elsie  turned  pale  on  reading  this  letter,  and  felt  for  a 
moment  really  sick  at  heart,  as  a  suspicion  would  keep 
forcing  itself  upon  her  concerning  this  mining  stock  of 
which  her  correspondent  spoke  so  hopefully. 

"  If  Esmond  should  be  the  friend  through  whom  Roland 
purchased  it !  "  she  said  aloud  ;  "  and,  oh !  I  fear  he  is.  But 


474  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

this  matter  must  be  investigated  at  once.  I  must  write  to 
Eoland  now  and  ask  him  to  call,  and  I  think  he  will  not  re- 
fuse me  the  truth." 

But  she  was  saved  the  trouble  of  writing,  for  a  ring  at 
the  door  told  of  a  visitor  which  proved  to  be  the  gentleman 
in  question. 

"I  took  a  run  up  to  see  poor  Esmond,"  he  said,  "and 
could  not  resist  coming  to  see  you,  especially  since  you 
have  recovered  from  that  serious  illness,  of  which  I  did  not 
hear  until  I  saw  Esmond." 

Elsie  saw  by  his  manner  and  haggard  appearance  that 
his  visit  to  the  convict  cousin  had  been  far  from  satisfac- 
tory, but  that  as  yet  he  did  not  suspect  the  gravity  of  her 
relative's  misdeeds.  She  felt  that  she  must  take  upon  her- 
self the  unpleasant  task  of  opening  the  eyes  of  this  deluded 
young  man,  and  also  ascertain  from  him  how  far  her  cousin 
was  implicated  in  the  mining  swindle,  for  swindle  she  felt 
confident  it  was.  So  adroitly  had  Esmond  handled  his 
dupe  that  even  the  fact  of  the  former  being  in  prison  had 
not  awakened  the  other  to  his  real  character.  Koland  had 
been  told  some  specious  story  and  seemingly  believed  it,  or 
else  shrank  from  knowing  the  real  state  of  the  case,  Elsie 
cotild  not  determine  which.  She  mentioned  the  letter  re- 
ceived from  his  mother,  and  then  asked  him  frankly  if  Es- 
mond was  not  the  agent  from  whom  he  had  purchased  the 
mining  stock.  He  turned  pale  and  red  by  turns,  and  stam- 
mered so  in  an  attempted  evasion,  that  she  had  no  longer 
any  doubt  and  insisted  on  knowing  the  circumstances. 

"  If  you  do  not  tell  me,  I  shall  write  at  once  to  your 
mother  and  tell  her  plainly  what  I  am  convinced  is  the 
truth,  and  then  you  must  answer  her.  Which  do  you 
prefer  ?  " 

This  had  the  desired  effect,  and  he  falteringly  acknowl- 
edged that  her  suspicions  were  correct,  but  insisted  stren- 
uously that  the  stock  was  good,  worth  every  dollar  that 


THE  EUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  475 

had  been  paid  for  it.  What  should  she  say,  how  undeceive 
this  infatuated  young  man  ? 

"You  have  been  steadily  deceived  by  my  cousin  from 
the  beginning  in  everything  else,  and  why  should  you  sup- 
pose he  has  kept  faith  in  this  matter  ?  I  see  I  must  be 
very  candid  with  you,  and  must  speak  of  matters  which  I 
would  fain  keep  locked  up  in  the  silence  of  my  own  bitter 
memories  of  that  unfortunate  man.  You  thought  him  sin- 
cere when  he  encouraged  you  to  propose  marriage  to  me 
and  press  your  suit  after  I  told  you  such  a  thing  was  im- 
possible." Her  hearer  regarded  her  with  dilated  pupils 
and  seemed  to  tremble  with  a  fear  of  what  would  come 
next.  She  went  on,  although  her  voice  sounded  strangely 
to  his  ears,  and  even  his  perturbed  state  did  not  prevent 
his  seeing  what  an  effort  the  statement  cost  her.  "You 
little  knew  that  he  was  urging  his  suit  with  me  at  that 
very  time." 

Roland  started  as  if  shot. 

"  It  cannot  be.  The  double-dyed  villain  ! "  he  exclaimed, 
and  then  sinking  on  the  sofa  near  him,  cried  like  a  child. 

No  need  to  say  more.  It  was  all  clear  as  day  now,  and 
the  reaction  was  terrible  even  to  so  weak  a  nature  as  his. 
He  went  to  the  other  extreme,  and,  in  his  agony,  remorse, 
and  wild  indignation  told  things  that  Elsie  would  fain  have 
been  spared  the  hearing  of.  He  begged  that  she  would 
make  his  peace  with  his  mother  or  he  could  never  face  the 
home  circle  again.  Indeed,  he  vowed  he  would  shoot  him- 
self rather  than  see  his  parents  again.  Then  his  mood 
changed  and  a  wild  desire  for  vengeance  took  possession  of 
him.  As  said  before,  he  was  no  coward  physically,  and  had 
he  encountered  Esmond  in  this  state  of  mind,  the  Australian 
would  have  required  all  his  prowess  to  have  saved  himself. 

"Did  he  dare  to  propose  marriage  to  you? "he  de- 
manded, wildly.  "  You  are  not  trying  me  ?  "  and  he  looked 
utterly  miserable.  No  affectation,  no  lisping  speech,  no 


476  THE   RUSSIAN   EEFUGEE. 

foppery  now.  He  seemed  transformed  by  the  varying  pas- 
sions of  remorse,  anger,  and  shame,  which  together  raged 
within  him  and  alternately  gained  the  ascendency.  But 
the  pitiful  position  which  his  folly  had  placed  him  in  re- 
garding the  mine  swindle — for  Elsie's  words  had  swept 
away  any  doubts,  if  he  really  had  entertained  them,  as  to 
the  nature  of  this  transaction — dominated  every  other 
feeling,  and  covering  his  face  with  his  hands,  he  groaned 
aloud  :  "  How  can  I  tell  my  mother,  my  poor  mother,  and 
she  trusted  me  so  !  I  am  lost,  lost,  lost ! " 

Some  natures  as  strong  as  the  deeply  affected  spectator 
to  his  distress  might  have  felt  a  certain  measure  of  justifi- 
able contempt  for  the  weakness  displayed  by  one  who  had 
hitherto  borne  himself  in  such  a  self-confident  manner,  but 
Elsie's  strength  of  character  was  so  blended  with  and 
toned  by  such  full  sympathy  for  suffering,  no  matter  how 
deserved,  that  the  idea  of  reproach,  even  indirectly,  was 
quite  foreign  to  her  present  condition  of  mind.  She  was 
well  aware  that  the  bitter  agony  of  remorse,  the  keen  sense 
of  disgrace,  the  degrading  position  in  which  the  reckless 
young  man  found  himself,  were  all  the  natural  outcome  of 
wrong-doing,  the  just  retribution  following  on  the  abandon- 
ment of  the  path  of  strict  integrity.  Crossing  the  room 
she  took  a  seat  beside  the  stricken  man,  and  in  a  low  tone 
said :  "  Koland,  when  one  has  done  wrong,  and  injured 
others,  regret  and  remorse  are  natural,  but  there  is  no 
reason  to  despair.  Let  us  look  the  matter  squarely  in  the 
face  and  see  what  is  best  to  be  done.  I  am  too  near  your 
own  age  to  be  able  to  advise  you,  perhaps,  but  we  women 
have  instincts  or  intuitions  in  matters,  which  often  serve 
us  in  place  of  larger  experience.  Let  us  talk  the  matter 
over  frankly,  and  try  and  decide  how  you  had  best  act 
under  the  circumstances." 

Her  words  seemed  to  reassure  him,  and  he  looked  up 
gratefully. 


THE   RUSSIAN   EEFUGEE.  477 

"  What  a  fool,  dolt,  idiot  I  have  been  all  along,  to  trust 
that  scoundrel  so  implicitly,"  he  said,  in  a  choked  voice. 
"But  he  led  me  along  so  cunningly, and  made  my  affection 
for  you  the  means  of  influencing  me  to  follow  his  wishes. 
Oh  !  if  I  could  only  kill  him,  and  then  shoot  myself  ! " 

"  Hush,  Roland,  that  is  not  right ;  and  the  wrong  is  not 
all  on  one  side,  remember.  No  one  can  make  us  do  wrong 
against  our  own  volition." 

"  Elsie,  don't  misunderstand  me.  I  don't  excuse  myself  ; 
I  know  I  have  been  a  weak  fool,  but  he  had  seen  more  of 
the  world,  and  was  a  great  deal  older  in  experience,  and  I 
was  so  blind  and  conceited  as  not  to  see  it." 

"  Perhaps  if  this  distress  opens  your  eyes  to  your  real 
defects  of  character  it  will  not  be  too  great  a  price  to  pay 
for  such  knowledge.  But  now  let  us  speak  of  what  is  best 
to  be  done." 

The  Roland  who  left  the  Hermitage  an  hour  later  was  a 
very  different  looking  and  feeling  individual  from  him  who 
had  entered  it.  Then  bright,  cheerful,  self-complacent,  and 
somewhat  disdainful  in  his  bearing  toward  inferiors  ;  now 
sad,  downcast,  and  woe-begone,  and  so  deferential  to  the 
servant  that  showed  him  out,  that  the  girl  hardly  knew  what 
to  make  of  it,  but  with  the  perspicacity  of  her  sex  was  not 
long  in  divining  a  cause. 

"  Poor  young  feller,  I  guess  missus  has  given  you  the 
mitten  this  morning,"  she  said  to  herself,  for  the  attach- 
ment of  young  St.  Johns  to  the  heiress  of  the  Hermitage 
was  an  "  open  secret "  in  the  household. 

It  had  been  agreed  between  them  that  Elsie  was  to  write 
to  Mrs.  St.  Johns  and  explain,  as  gently  as  possible,  the 
true  value  of  the  mining  stock.  It  was  indeed  a  task  from 
which  she  shrank,  but  her  sense  of  duty  and  right  impera- 
tively demanded  the  sacrifice  of  her  own  feelings  in  the 
matter,  and  she  at  once  set  to  the  task.  As  delicately  and 
skilfully  as  possible  she  drew  aside  the  veil  that  criminal 


478  THE   RUSSIAN   EEFUGEE. 

weakness  and  unscrupulousness,  aided  and  furthered  by  an 
overwhelming  desire  for  unreasonable  gain  on  the  part  of 
the  lady  herself,  had  woven  to  conceal  the  hideous,  naked 
facts.  She  began  in  direct  response  to  Mrs.  St.  Johns'  sug- 
gestion that  she  should  purchase  some  shares,  by  saying 
that  she  could  not  help  regarding  such  speculations  as  un- 
wise in  most  instances,  and  apt  to  bring  about  in  the  mind 
of  the  speculators  a  condition  akin  to  the  gambling  fever. 
Asking  pardon  for  such  frankness,  she  urged  in  extenua- 
tion the  fact  that  in  nine  out  of  ten  cases  the  facts  went 
to  show  that  these  mining  schemes  were  a  swindle,  and 
suggested  the  promoters  of  them  had  invariably  one  object 
— to  fleece  the  shareholders.  "I  have  heard  father  say 
that  of  the  number  that  have  in  one  way  or  another  been 
obtruded  on  his  notice  only  one  was  conducted  with  any 
degree  of  honesty,  and  in  that  one  instance,  although  the 
stockholders  at  first  made  some  money,  the  assessments 
for  new  and  unnecessary  machinery,  and  other  expendi- 
tures, came  in  so  fast  that  the  smaller  holders,  the  posses- 
sors of  only  a  few  shares,  were  unable  or  unwilling  to 
stand  the  constant  drain,  and  so  were  gradually  'frozen 
out/  that  is,  compelled  to  sell,  and  the  schemers  after,  by 
this  means,  managing  to  get  control  of  all  the  stock,  then 
developed  the  mine,  which  proved  to  be  really  valuable, 
and  so  made  a  fortune." 

Thus  quoting  her  father,  she  gradually  led  up  to  the 
dreaded  revelation,  trying  as  she  best  could  to  soften  what 
would  necessarily  be  a  severe  blow.  The  loss  of  the  money 
was  only  a  trifle,  she  felt,  compared  to  a  mother  losing  con- 
fidence in  a  son  that  she  fairly  idolized,  and  in  whose  in- 
tegrity and  adroitness  and  business  capacity  she  had 
unlimited  confidence.  On  a  woman  of  Mrs.  St.  Johns'  pas- 
sionate and  unreasoning  nature,  Elsie  knew  the  effect  of 
exposing  the  deplorable  weakness,  duplicity,  and  cruel  in- 
gratitude of  a  loved  and  trusted  son  would  be  serious  in- 


THE   EUSSIAN   KEFUGEE.  479 

deed.  Weak  people  bear  such  shocks  badly,  having  no 
latent  strength,  no  genuine  moral  principle  to  temper  and 
modify  the  blow.  Elsie  shivered  on  the  brink  of  this 
inevitable  revelation  to  the  egotistic  but  fond,  trusting 
mother,  as  a  swimmer  pauses  and  hesitates,  trembling  on 
the  bank,  ere  plunging  into  the  icy  waters,  when  compelled 
to  cross  a  river  in  the  early  spring.  But  the  courage 
brought  by  resolute  will  to  the  point,  in  he  leaps,  and  in 
battling  with  the  rude  waters,  the  chill  he  dreaded  but 
serves  as  a  stimulus  to  more  vigorous  effort,  and  he  finds  a 
power  and  increasing  energy  coming  to  him  in  proportion 
to  the  perils  and  difficulties  he  has  to  encounter.  Thus 
Miss  Hastings  found  power  and  ability  in  writing  this  much- 
feared  letter,  so  that  she  was  able  to  deftly  expose  the  great 
wrong,  not  to  call  it  by  a  harsher  name,  of  which  her  friend 
was  the  victim  without  unnecessarily  wounding  the  mother 
through  the  son.  She  read  it  over  carefully  and  was  her- 
self surprised  and  gratified  at  the  felicity  of  expression  and 
happy  choice  of  phrase  in  which  she  had  been  able  to  say 
what  was  in  her  heart  without  giving  one  more  pang  than 
was  unavoidable  to  this  hitherto  unsuspecting,  deluded 
lady.  It  had  been  the  hardest  and  least  congenial  task  of 
her  life  to  write  that  letter,  and  she  felt  as  if  somehow  she 
had  been  helped  to  accomplish  it  by  some  occult  influence, 
some  good  spirit  who  had  responded  to  her  unbreathed 
prayer  for  help  ;  for  Elsie,  like  many  other  earnest,  con- 
scientious children  of  humanity,  felt  frequently  as  if  unseen 
agencies  acted  for  and  with  her  to  help  her  for  good.  And 
does  not  some  such  feeling  or  impression  form  the  basis  of 
religion  ?  Is  it  not  indeed  the  very  soul  and  essential 
quality  of  what  is  called  by  some  the  religious  instinct  ? 


CHAPTER  XLL 
A  NEW  PATIENT. 

DE.  SEAMAN  had  a  new  patient.  Gretchen  was  sick.  The 
fat,  jolly,  even-tempered  woman  was  very  ill  indeed,  and  re- 
quired the  physician's  most  watchful  attendance.  It  proved 
to  be  a  case  of  typhoid  fever.  Poor  Hans  was  almost  wild 
with  anxiety  about  his  mother,  and  often  trudged  the  two 
miles  or  so  between  the  doctor's  house  and  the  little  cottage 
to  urge  the  physician  to  hasten  his  visit.  Careless  as  he  had 
been  about  vexing  her  by  his  indulgence  in  schnapps  while 
she  was  well,  now,  when  there  was  a  possibility  that  she 
might  be  lost  to  him,  his  grief  knew  no  bounds. 

"  Oh,  Dr.  Seaman,  you  must  please  save  mine  mudder  ; 
she  is  mine  only  mudder,  you  see,  an'  I  can't  live  without 
her,"  said  the  poor  fellow  on  one  of  these  visits,  wringing 
his  hands  in  agony. 

As  for  Hiram,  he  smoked  his  pipe  as  usual,  looked  con- 
templative, and  altogether  bore  the  matter  like  a  philoso- 
pher. 

"It's  me  private  'pinion,"  he  sententiously  remarked  to 
Warren  when  the  disease  seemed  to  be  steadily  gaining  on 
the  patient,  and  poor  Gretchen's  life  to  hang  indeed  in  the 
balance,  "  thet  the  ole  woman'll  weather  the  gale,  cos,  as 
you  say,  the  fever  is  a-gaining  rapidly.  Naow,  Gretchen  is, 
in  my  mind,  too  fat  to  go  very  fast,  and  so  in  the  natur'  of 
things  thet  fever'll  get  the  worst  of  it.  Sure's  you  live,  it'll 
hev  to  leave  her  behind,  doctor,  for  you  never  could  hurry 
up  Gretchen  a  peg  ;  she'll  go  so  fast,  an'  no  faster.  Gretch- 


THE   RUSSIAN    REFUGEE.  481 

en's  the  smartest  woman  to  go  slow  of  anyone  in  these  dig- 
gin's,"  and  the  trapper  looked  comically  at  the  medical  man, 
as  he  spoke,  at  the  same  time  shaking  his  head  in  a  satis- 
fied sort  of  way. 

However,  in  spite  of  his  philosophic  bearing,  Warren 
knew  that  beneath  the  rugged  exterior  there  was  a  very 
warm  feeling  for  the  sick  woman,  and  that  no  sacrifice  of 
personal  comfort  would  be  deemed  too  great  to  give  her 
aid  or  relief. 

The  "  Giraffe  "  was  fairly  tireless,  and  never  seemed  to 
rest,  but  was  always  on  the  alert  to  do  anything  the  medi- 
cal man  required. 

Elsie,  on  the  first  intimation  of  the  sickness,  had  hastened 
to  the  cottage,  and  contributed  much  to  the  comfort  of  the 
patient  by  her  womanly  tact  and  ability  to  make  the  sick- 
room cheerful  and  wholesome.  Hiram  was  quite  satisfied 
when  she  was  near. 

"  Somebody's  always  got  to  be  sick,  you  see,  Miss  Elsie, 
an'  I  reckon't  mought  as  well  be  Gretchen  as  the  next  one  ; 
leastwise,  she's  the  one  this  time  anyhow,  an'  you  got  your 
turn  a  while  back.  Guess  it's  all  right" 

And  so  the  weary  days  of  the  fever  went  by,  kind  hearts 
prompting,  kind  hands  doing  for  the  sick  one  all  that 
was  possible.  Elsie  rarely  failed  in  seeing  the  sufferer 
once  a  day,  and  sometimes  twice,  taking  usually  some  tri- 
fling thing  which  she  thought  might  be  needed  or  accept- 
able. 

It  was  in  the  second  week  of  the  sickness,  when  just  as 
she  reached  the  clump  of  cedars  near  the  trapper's  home, 
walking  as  she  often  did  when  the  weather  was  favorable 
and  roads  fairly  good,  she  heard  her  name  softly  pronounced, 
and  turning  quickly,  met  the  earnest  gaze  of  the  younger 
Russian.  She  colored  with  pleasure,  and  held  out  her 
hand.  Eagerly  he  grasped  it. 

"  Miss  Hastings,  I  need  not  say  how  delighted  I  am  to 
31 


482  THE  RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

meet  you  again ;  to  meet  you,  too,  on  a  mission  of  kind- 
ness to  my  old  friend  Gretchen." 

As  he  spoke  he  held  her  hand  in  a  warm  grasp,  almost  un- 
consciously retaining  it,  so  pleased  did  he  seem  to  see  her. 

"Where  have  you  been  hiding  yourself,  Mr.  Adolph? 
Your  friends  have  been  in  despair  about  you,  thinking  per- 
haps you  had  forgotten  them,"  she  rejoined,  half  earnestly, 
half  gayly. 

"  Forgotten  you ! "  And  here  he  bent  his  eyes  so  earnestly 
upon  her  that  involuntarily  she  looked  down  for  a  moment, 
and  to  her  secret  annoyance  felt  her  face  suffused  with  the 
warm,  rich  blush.  "I  went  away,"  he  said,  very  quietly* 
"and  tried  to  forget,  tried  to  study,  tried  a  great  many 
things,  but  it  would  not  do  ;  "  and  then  he  added,  as  if  try- 
ing to  explain  his  rather  ambiguous  phrases,  "  my  father 
is  very  old,  you  know.  I  must  not  leave  him.  It  would  not 
be  right,  would  it  ?  " 

Her  self-possession,  which  had  momentarily  deserted  her 
during  his  almost  impassioned  address,  now  returned,  and 
she  answered  archly  :  "  Why,  no ;  of  course  it  would  not  be 
right.  But  why  should  you  seek  to  leave  him,  and  your 
friends  too  ?  And  as  for  trying  to  forget,  surely  your  mem- 
ories are  not  so  very  dreadful  that  you  must  try  and  fly 
from  them  !  I  thought  Mr.  Adolph  was  afraid  of  nothing." 

Her  half  raillery  roused  him,  and  he  responded  in  the 
same  vein,  or  tried  to,  for  his  attempt  was  a  partial  failure, 
and  she  felt  that  some  emotion  was  stirring  his  nature  to 
the  very  depths. 

"  But  how  is  Gretchen,  Mr.  Adolph  ;  you  have  just  come 
from  the  cottage  ?  She  has  been  very,  very  ill." 

"  Yes,  and  you  have  been  the  good  angel  there,  too.  I 
thank  you,  I  thank  you,"  he  repeated.  "  I  think  she  is 
better,  at  least  she  was  resting  nicely  ;  she  has  indeed  been 
very  ill." 

Then  he  told  her  how  he  had  been  to  the  great  city,  with 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  483 

the  half-formed  intention  of  following  out  a  course  of  study 
in  one  of  the  institutions  there,  but  found  it  impossible  to 
tame  his  longing  for  father,  home,  and  friends. 

"  I  know  you  will  think  this  a  strange,  perhaps  ignoble 
feeling  for  one  no  longer  in  the  blush  of  youth,  who  ought 
by  this  time  to  be  somewhat  hardened  by  the  experience 
of  years,"  he  said,  hesitatingly,  almost  pleadingly,  she 
thought,  as  if  he  would  deprecate  in  advance  any  blame 
she  might  impute  to  his  want  of  courage  ;  "  but  remember 
I  am  almost  a  savage,  and  have  the  instincts  and  habits  of 
a  savage ;  and  the  home  ties  are  too  strong  to  be  easily  sev- 
ered." 

She  regarded  the  speaker  smilingly.  "  If  love  of  home 
and  friends  is  the  characteristic  of  a  savage,  and  impaired 
by  our  civilization,  Mr.  Adolph,  then,  I  say  perish  the  civil- 
ization, for  what,  after  all,  is  culture,  learning,  books,  train- 
ing, compared  with  the  sacred  feeling  of  love  of  home  and 
kindred  ?  " 

"  Do  you  really  feel  so,  and  can  regard  what  I  have  been 
afraid  was  a  shameful  weakness  with  leniency  and  allow- 
ance ?  But  I  cannot  so  readily  forgive  myself  for  what  I 
feel  was  a  weakness." 

"Is  it  not  really  a  question  of  duty?"  she  asked  in  a 
low  tone.  "  Is  not  your  place  here,  where  your  aged 
father  lives,  and  who  must  mourn  your  absence?  Filial 
duty  is  surely  before  any  desire  for  mere  personal  good." 

His  head  sunk  for  an  instant,  as  if  he  were  weighing  her 
words,  and  then  looking  up  he  said,  simply  :  "I  believe 
you  are  right ;  I  was  selfish  to  go,  and  yet — but  my  father 
must  not  be  left  to  pine  alone." 

"  But  what  led  you  to  go  so  far  away  from  home;  surely 
you  could  have  found  what  jou  seek  much  nearer  ?  "  she 
asked,  as  they  walked  in  the  direction  of  the  cottage,  for 
hitherto  they  had  been  standing  by  the  clump  of  maples 
where  they  first  met. 


484  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

"Well,  I  will  confess,"  he  answered,  slowly,  as  if  half 
doubtful  as  to  how  his  communication  might  be  received, 
and  his  mood  was  almost  feverishly  sensitive  to  her  criti- 
cism. "I  wrote  a  short  article  on  a  certain  rare  and  curi- 
ous plant  which  I  discovered  some  miles  from  here,  and 
sent  it  to  the  editor  of  the  Natural  Science  Journal  your 
father  lent  me.  You  look  surprised  at  my  doing  such  a 
rash  thing,  and  indeed  I  felt  as  if  I  had  made  a  foolish 
blunder  in  doing  so,  as  soon  as  the  letter  was  posted,  for  I 
reflected  that  although  the  plant  might  seem  rare  and  curi- 
ous to  me,  yet  it  might  be  very  familiar  to  botanists." 

She  had  indeed  showed  astonishment  in  her  look,  but  it 
was  a  pleased  surprise,  and  as  he  paused,  said  quickly  :  "  I 
am  so  glad  ;  and  what  was  the  result — did  they  publish  it  ?  " 

"To  my  great  astonishment  it  came  out  in  the  next 
issue,  and  by  post  there  came  a  complimentary  note  from 
the  editor  congratulating  me  on  adding  a  new  plant  to  the 
flora  of  the  country." 

"  How  delightful !  Let  me  wish  you  joy ! "  exclaimed 
Elsie,  holding  out  her  hand  and  clasping  his  warmly.  "  I 
was  sure  your  great  knowledge  of  these  things  would  come 
to  something  sooner  or  later  ;  but  please  go  on." 

"  There  is  not  much  more  to  tell,  only  that  we  had  some 
further  correspondence,  and  in  response  to  one  of  my 
questions  he  suggested  that  I  should  go  to  New  York  and 
take  a  short  course  in  the  institution  in  which  he  occupies 
a  chair  as  professor  of  the  anatomy  and  physiology  of 
plants." 

"  Just  the  thing  you  were  wishing  for,  was  it  not  ?  " 

"  Yes,  and  in  my  then  condition  of  mind  I  eagerly  ac- 
cepted the  invitation,  but  I  overestimated  my  own  strength 
of  resolution,  and  a  few  day|  showed  me  my  weakness,  as 
my  being  here  shows  it  to  you." 

A  larger,  fuller  meaning  than  his  words  expressed  was  in 
his  face,  and  with  swift  intuition  Elsie  read  it  there,  and  to 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  485 

her  great  annoyance  felt  her  color  rising  ;  and  somehow  an 
awkward  silence  chained  her  lips,  and  neither  spoke  further 
until  the  cottage  was  reached. 

They  found  the  "  Giraffe  "  sitting  in  contemplative  mood 
outside,  with  a  pipe  in  his  mouth  out  of  which  the  fire  had 
departed.  He  seemed  to  be  in  a  "brown-study,"  to  use  a 
favorite  expression  of  Elsie's  father,  and  did  not  notice 
their  approach,  but  on  their  attempting  to  enter  the  dwell- 
ing he  started  up  like  a  watch-dog  on  the  alert. 

"  Oh,  oh !  Miss  Elsie,  mebbe  Carl  an'  me  ain't  glad  to  see 
yer ! "  referring  to  his  dog,  a  rather  shaggy  specimen  of 
canine  fidelity,  which  now  ran  up  and  began  to  frisk  and 
gambol  as  if  to  speak  for  himself.  "  An'  friend  Adolph, 
too,  he  'members  yer  both,  he  does.  Bless  yer,  why,  thet 
dog  knows  more'n  most  humans.  When  Gretchen  took  ail- 
ing like,  ses  I,  '  Carl,  no  more  barkin',  'cause  Gretchen's 
kinder  twisted  up  an'  wants  no  noise,'  an'  he  sorter  put  his 
squirrel-trap  on  one  side,  knowing  like,  an'  wagged  his  tail, 
an'  durn  me  ef  he's  barked  sence  ;  knows  more'n  most 
humans." 

Elsie  stroked  the  faithful  creature,  who  was,  she  knew, 
uncommonly  sagacious.  Hiram's  eyes  twinkled  with  satis- 
faction, for  with  him,  as  with  most  hunters  and  sportsmen 
generally,  it  was  indeed  "  love  me,  love  my  dog." 

"  He's  a  rare  'un,  Miss  Elsie,  he  is.  But  I'm  sorter  on- 
easy  in  my  mind  'bout  the  ole  woman,"  he  went  on,  the 
absorbed,  half-troubled  look  he  wore  when  they  arrived 
coming  back  to  his  rugged  face.  "  She's  kind  o'  flighty 
this  morning,  and  raves  for  the  Chief  to  come  and  see  her, 
and  I  was  a-thinking,  as  yer  come  up,  friend  Adolph,  thet 
maybe  the  ole  man  would  come  up  an'  sorter  soothe  her — 
leastwise,  he  mought  try.  She  allers  believed  in  him,  an' 
I  feel  kinder  sure  't'll  do  her  good." 

'•  If  you  think  so,  Hiram,  I  am  sure  father  will  try 
and  come.  Of  course,"  he  added,  to  Elsie,  "  I  am  cautious 


486  THE   RUSSIAN   EEFUGEE. 

about  urging  or  advising  him  to  expose  himself  to  any  un- 
due emotion  or  excitement,  for  we  all  realize  that  at  his 
advanced  period  of  life  his  hold  on  earth  is  very  slight,  and 
an  even,  nearly  monotonous,  existence  is  almost  impera- 
tively necessary." 

"I  understand  that;  and  yet,  is  there  not  an  equal  or 
even  greater  peril  in  permitting  the  emotions  and  feelings 
to  remain  quite  dormant  ?  Is  there  not  danger  of  unhealthy 
stagnation  if  the  pool  of  the  inner  and  better  life  is  not  oc- 
casionally ruffled  by  the  presence  of  the  angel  of  compas- 
sion ?  "  she  said,  quietly.  "  But  your  father,  of  all  men,  is 
not  likely  to  suffer  in  that  way." 

Adolph  smiled  in  the  half-deferential,  half-humorous 
way  which  she  had  often  observed  in  him  when  he  was 
impressed  with  some  thought  bordering  on  the  ludicrous 
as  he  quickly  responded  :  "  True  ;  you  understand  him, 
for,  singularly  enough,  it  was  only  yesterday  that  he  was 
quite  excited  about  something  that  was  related  in  his  pres- 
ence which  aroused  his  pity  and  indignation,  with  the  usual 
result  that  he  was  obliged  to  lie  down  to  recover  the  vital 
tone  he  had  thus  lost.  However,  he  recruited  quickly,  and 
on  sitting  up,  said,  pathetically,  "  I  am  afraid  I  shall  never 
live  to  be  an  old  man,  unless  I  learn  to  control  myself  bet- 
ter," adding  to  himself  :  "  But  little  hope  of  that,  unless  I 
become  both  blind  and  deaf." 

Elsie  laughed  heartily,  and  the  "  Giraffe "  haw-hawed 
until  the  welkin  rang  with  the  echoes. 

"He  is  younger  than  many  men  at  a  third  of  his  years. 
What  a  glorious  thing  such  a  beautiful  old  age  is  !  How 
very  few  are  so  favored." 

"  Yes,"  Adolph  said,  and  she  always  noticed  that  his 
eyes  glowed  with  a  peculiarly  tender  light  when  speaking 
of  his  venerable  parent.  "  I  suppose  there  have  not  been 
many  who  have  breasted  the  storms  of  life  for  nearly  a 
century  and  a  quarter,  but  father  thinks  many  more  have 


THE  RTJSSIAN  REFUGEE.  487 

lived  to  great  age  than  history  takes  note  of,  and  indeed 
holds  that  most  of  the  race,  if  fairly  well  born  and  circum- 
stanced, are  capable  of  it,  and  that  premature  decay  is  the 
penalty  of  transgression  of  nature's  laws." 

Poor  Gretchen  was  very  low,  and  took  little  notice  of 
anything,  and  yet  Dr.  Seaman,  on  his  visit  the  previous 
evening,  had  pronounced  her  better,  although  not  yet  out 
of  danger.  She  had,  as  Hiram  had  said,  been  a  little  wan- 
dering in  her  mind,  but  when  Elsie  took  her  hand  she 
smiled  a  recognition  and  pressed  her  fingers  gratefully. 

"  I  have  been  so  sick,  an'  mine  body  feels  so  weak,"  she 
murmured,  as  Elsie  bent  her  head  to  catch  the  low  accents. 

Very  different  indeed  she  looked  from  the  plump,  hearty, 
good-natured  woman  of  a  few  weeks  before.  However,  all 
felt  more  cheerful,  for  she  was  undoubtedly  better,  and  said 
so.  But,  with  the  whim  of  a  sick  person,  she  kept  inquir- 
ing every  few  moments  when  the  old  Chief  was  coming, 
as  she  wanted  to  have  some  good  sleep,  and  then  she  would 
begin  to  get  well. 

"  Strange  that  she  should  have  this  notion  so  strong 
about  my  father's  ability  to  give  her  sleep ;  but  then  he  cer- 
tainly has  some  power  in  that  way.  I  have  seen  him  calm 
patients  at  once  by  simply  laying  his  hand  on  their  heads 
when  tossing  in  all  the  wild  restlessness  of  delirious  fever." 

"  I,  too,  can  speak  on  that  point,  for  never  shall  I  forget 
the  restfulness  of  his  touch  when  I  was  suffering  from  my 
accident  at  your  home,"  returned  Elsie,  with  warmth. 
"  Do  try  and  induce  him  to  come  and  help  poor  Gretchen 
— that  is,"  she  added,  quickly,  "  if  it  will  not  imperil  his 
own  health." 

"Oh,  it  will  not  be  near  so  difficult  to  induce  him  to 
come,  when  he  knows  Gretchen  wishes  him,  than  to  keep 
him  at  home,"  laughingly  assented  Adolph,  as  he  promised 
that  his  father  should  be  with  the  sick  one  the  next  morn- 
ing, if  possible. 


488  THE  RUSSIAN   EEFUGEE. 

Rarely  had  the  young  mistress  of  the  Hermitage  enjoyed 
a  walk  as  keenly  as  the  return  home  that  day.  It  was  one 
of  those  soft  autumn  days  when  the  departing  summer 
seems  to  clasp  hands  in  friendly  feeling  with  the  prospec- 
tive heir  to  his  realm,  who  has  just  come,  as  it  were,  to  spy 
out  the  estate  over  which  in  brief  period  he  is  to  reign. 
There  was  no  rivalry,  but  the  mellow  glow  of  good-fellow- 
ship. The  air  was  delightful,  and  of  medium  temperature, 
and  Nature  smiled  cheerily,  clad  as  she  was  in  her  bright 
holiday  garb  of  variegated  colors.  The  scene  appealed 
strongly  to  the  poetic  and  artistic  imagination  of  Adolph, 
who  had  accompanied  Elsie,  and  he  spoke  with  a  native  elo- 
quence which  rather  surprised  her.  This  shy,  modest,  retir- 
ing man,  with  slender  education,  and  few  or  no  opportunities 
for  culture,  such  as  varied  society  gives,  had  yet,  under  such 
influences  as  his  simple  life  afforded,  developed  a  strong, 
nicely  balanced,  and  critical  mind  in  reference  to  most  sub- 
jects within  the  range  of  his  observation.  His  knowledge 
of  nature's  treasures  was,  as  Elsie  and  her  father  agreed, 
much  superior  to  that  of  any  one  within  their  circle  of  ac- 
quaintance. 

"  Please  walk  in  and  take  dinner  with  us,"  urged  the 
young  mistress  of  the  mansion.  "  You  have  given  me  so 
many  new  views,  this  morning,  of  things  which  I  have  often 
passed  hastily  over  in  my  walks,  that  a  score  of  questions 
arise  in  my  mind  which  I  want  to  ask  you ;  and,  besides, 
father  will  be  so  glad  to  hear  about  your  New  York  ex- 
perience." 

"  The  questions  will  keep,  even  supposing  I  were  capable 
of  answering  them,"  said  the  gentleman,  all  his  shrinking 
reserve  coming  back  at  the  thought  of  the  social  trial 
which  dinner  might  involve. 

Nervously  sensitive  regarding  conventional  proprieties, 
a  natural  result  of  his  isolated  life,  the  Russian  still  hesi- 
tated, when  at  this  moment  Mr.  Hastings  himself  appeared 


THE  RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  489 

on  the  scene,  and  would  hear  of  no  denial,  adding :  "  "We 
dine  alone,  and  shall  be  delighted  to  have  you  with  us  ;  be- 
sides, I  want  to  have  a  talk  with  you." 

Dining  alone  with  these  two  was  very  different  from 
forming  one  of  a  large,  critical  company,  and  so  Adolph  of- 
fered no  further  opposition. 

The  dinner  was  ready  soon  after  entering  the  house, 
Elsie  having  but  a  few  moments  for  such  simple  change 
of  toilet  as  she  required  ;  the  brief  period  being  spent  by 
the  visitor  in  looking  at  a  new  illustrated  work  recently 
published  on  "American  horses,"  a  subject  in  which  both 
host  and  guest  were  much  interested,  for  Mr.  Hastings  was 
an  enthusiastic  horseman,  and  Adolph  was  very  familiar 
with,  and  an  ardent  admirer  of,  the  noble  animal. 

The  Russian  thought  he  never  before  enjoyed  a  repast 
so  much  as  he  did  that  dinner.  So  urbane  and  unobtru- 
sively thoughtful  was  the  host,  so  gracefully  attentive  the 
fair  hostess,  that  their  guest  was  entirely  at  his  ease,  and 
conversed  with  intelligence  and  freedom  on  the  varied  top- 
ics suggested.  There  was  a  simplicity  and  naturalness,  a 
genuine  unaffected  and  frank  manhood,  about  the  visitor 
which  forcibly  impressed  the  owner  of  the  Hermitage  and 
won  his  admiration. 

"  That  is  the  most  genuine  specimen  of  a  natural  gentle- 
man I  have  ever  met.  He  owes  almost  nothing  to  society 
or  the  schools,  but  has  a  native  breeding  and  innate  con- 
sciousness of  the  right  thing  to  do  and  say,"  he  observed 
to  his  daughter  as  their  guest  left  them  about  the  middle  of 
the  afternoon. 

Elsie  was  delighted  to  hear  her  father  so  express  himself, 
for  she  had  feared  that  some  social  or  race  prejudice 
might,  unknown  even  to  himself,  have  lodgement  in  his 
mind  unfavorable  to  these  isolated  people  with  whom  they 
had  been  brought  into  such  curious  and  intimate  relations. 
The  kindness  and  attention  manifested  by  her  parent  she 


490  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

had  half  feared  might  be  prompted  by  the  sense  of  the  heavy 
obligation  under  which  he  felt  he  lay  to  them,  and  so  she 
was  especially  gratified  to  hear  his  hearty  expression  of 
esteem  for  the  individual  manly  qualities  of  the  younger 
Kussian.  For  herself,  she  had  followed  her  intuitions,  and 
apart  from  the  consciousness  of  heavy  indebtedness  on  her 
part  for  help  and  kindest  attention  and  hospitality  in  her 
urgent  need — independent  of  this,  we  say,  she  had  given  the 
entire  Cave  family  a  special  and  warm  place  on  the  hearth- 
stone of  her  friendship,  and  installed  them  there  as  favored 
guests.  And  as  her  father  was  her  other  life,  as  it  were, 
she  wished  him  to  regard  these  friends  in  like  manner. 
Hence  her  joy  at  his  words.  Her  pleasure  was  so  evident 
at  what  he  said,  and  she  kissed  him  so  warmly,  saying,  "  I 
knew  you  would  inevitably  come  to  that  conclusion,  father," 
that  it  set  him  thinking,  and  he  felt  as  one  before  whose 
eyes  the  mist  suddenly  clears  from  the  horizon. 


CHAPTER  XLH. 
THE  HEALING  POWER. 

THE  sick  woman  had  passed  a  restless  night,  and  was 
muttering  incoherently,  tossing  restlessly  to  and  fro,  when 
Dr.  Seaman  entered  the  cottage.  After  a  brief  examina- 
tion, he  called  Hiram  aside  and  inquired  gravely  if  she  had 
been  unduly  excited  in  any  way  the  day  previous,  adding  : 
"  She  was  better,  certainly,  when  I  left  her  yesterday,  but 
this  morning  is  not  so  well." 

"  Wall,  doctor,  it's  my  'pinion  thet  Gretchen's  kinder 
riled  'cause  we  didn't  hev  the  old  man  here  yesterday. 
She'd  set  her  mind  on't  thet  he'd  sorter  soothe  her  like,  an' 
maybe  he  would.  Women's  crooked  creeters,  an'  needs  a 
heap  o'  soothing  at  times.  But  she  ain't  been  'cited  'cept 
thet ;  leastways,  not  as  I  knows  of,  an'  I  hev  been  to  hum 
most  all  the  time." 

"  Whom  does  she  want  to  see  ?  "  asked  Seaman,  rather 
abruptly,  his  professional  instinct  on  the  alert  to  discover 
if  there  were  any  desire  to  change  physicians. 

"  The  old  man — the  Chief,  as  they  call  him  ;  but,"  added 
the  trapper,  cautiously,  thinking  perhaps  he  had  been  im- 
prudent, "  mebbe  yer  don't  know  him,  doctor.  He's  an 
old  friend  o'  her'n,  an'  she's  got  a  sorter  conceit  thet  p'raps 
he  kin  cure  her  by  what  they  call  laying  on  o'  hands  ;  least- 
ways, I  kalkerlate  thet's  it.  I  don't  take  no  stock  in  sich 
myself,  nohow.  I  believe  in  the  reglar  perfession,  but  I 
sorter  'magine  he  kin  help,  for  he's  a  hull  team  to  soothe, 
he  is,  an'  is  smarter  most  ways  then  yer  find." 

Seaman  was  reassured  as  to  Hiram's  soundness  toward 


492  THE  RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

the  "  reg'lar  perfession,"  but  still  a  little  curious  to  know 
who  this  quack  could  be  that  professed  to  cure  typhoid 
fever  by  "  laying  on  o'  hands."  Just  at  this  moment  a 
trampling  of  horses'  feet  reached  his  ear,  and  almost  imme- 
diately Elsie  Hastings  dashed  up  on  her  favorite  Gyp. 

"  Why,  Cousin  Warren,  I  expected  to  be  ahead  of  you." 

"As  if  that  were  possible,"  responded  the  physician, 
with  mock  astonishment.  "  Such  audacity — such  egotism, 
indeed !  But,  Elsie,  do  tell  me,  who  is  this  wonderful  layer 
on  of  hands,  this  digital  quack,  that  these  people  seem  so 
desirous  to  bring  here — at  least  Gretchen,  according  to 
what  Hiram  tells  me,  for  he  still  seems  to  have  some  con- 
scientious scruples  respecting  what  is  due  to  the  '  reg'lar 
perfession  ? ' " 

"  Please  mind,  you  conceited  son  of  JEsculapius,  whom  you 
are  calling  a  quack.  The  doctor  is  coming  here  this  morn- 
ing, to  show  you  members  of  the  '  reg'lar  perfession '  how 
to  treat  disease,  and  I'm  sure  I  hope  he  will  do  the  poor 
woman  good,"  regarding  her  cousin's  perturbed  brow  mis- 
chievously ;  "  but  how  is  Gretchen  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  find  her  so  well,  and  that  delirium  has  re- 
turned. But  you,  too,  are  leagued  against  the  '  reg'lar  per- 
fession '  and  in  favor  of  quackery.  Come  now,  please  tell 
me  who  my  rival  is,  so  that  I  can  be  off  and  leave  him  a 
free  field  in  which  to  practise  his  incantations.  Of  course,  I 
shall  have  to  give  up  the  case." 

Seeing  her  cousin  was  really  annoyed,  and  thinking  she 
detected  the  sound  of  wheels,  which  possibly  might  herald 
the  coming  visitors,  she  changed  her  manner. 

"  No,  you  foolish  fellow,  you  will  do  no  such  thing  as  re- 
tire from  the  case.  What  sticklers  you  medical  men  are 
for  professional  dignity,  as  you  call  it.  Don't  you  know, 
or  must  I  teU  you,  that  this  is  the  second  patient  of  yours 
that  this  quack,  as  you  term  him,  has  treated,  and  that  you 
have  already  met  him  in  consultation  ?  " 


THE    RUSSIAN    REFUGEE.  493 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  "  And  then,  a  sudden  light  break- 
ing on  him,  he  exclaimed:  "Surely  not  the  old  Eussian? 
How  stupid  I  was  not  to  think  of  him  before.  Is  he  really 
coming  ?  " 

She  nodded  gayly,  and  then  sprung  from  her  horse,  and 
leaving  Hiram  to  attend  to  the  animal,  entered  the  house 
with  the  doctor. 

"  Then  you  think  you  can  afford  to  meet  the  quack  with- 
out compromising  the  dignity  of  your  high  mightiness  ?  " 
she  asked,  as  they  paused  for  an  instant  in  the  outer  room. 

"  I  shall  be  pleased  to  meet  the  old  man  again,  and  shall 
be  glad  indeed  if  his  psychological  power,  which  really  is 
wonderful,  can  soothe  poor  Gretchen  into  deep  slumber ; 
for  that  would  be  a  crisis  with  her,  I  think,  and  on  awaking 
she  would  go  on,  probably,  toward  recovery." 

"  A  graceful  admission,  which  I  suppose  I  must  allow  to 
offset  your  outrageous  remarks  of  a  few  moments  since." 

The  patient  could  not  be  roused  to  recognition,  but 
stared  at  them  wildly,  turning  uneasily  from  side  to  side. 

"  She  is  a  very  sick  woman,"  Seaman  said,  in  answer  to 
the  inquiring  look  of  his  cousin — "  even  dangerously  so  ; 
but  this  is  a  peculiar  disease,  and  subject  to  many  ups  and 
downs.'1 

A  sound  of  wheels,  and  then  the  voice  of  Adolph  drew 
them  out-of-doors  again,  where  they  found  the  Patriarch 
looking  so  kind  and  genial  that  "Warren  whispered  :  "  He 
resembles  a  sunshiny  day  in  midwinter." 

His  face  shone  with  pleasure  as  Elsie  advanced  to  salute 
him. 

"My  dear  daughter,"  he  said,  as  he  took  both  her  hands 
and  pressed  his  lips  to  her  forehead,  "how  pleasant  to 
meet  you  again  !  And  how  is  our  friend  Gretchen  ?  " 

"  Not  so  well,  I  am  sorry  to  say,"  said  Dr.  Seaman,  com- 
ing forward  and  shaking  hands  with  the  ancient  man. 
"  She  has,  I  understand,  called  for  you  frequently." 


494  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

"  I  helped  her  through  a  severe  illness  many  years  ago, 
and  she  has  never  forgotten  it.  I  think  I  always  had  more 
or  less  magnetic  influence  over  her,  doctor,"  he  said,  as  if  in 
partial  explanation  of  his  presence  on  the  occasion  as  a 
healer,  "and  you  know  there  are  occult  influences  which 
largely  control  the  course  of  certain  diseases,  although  we 
may  not  be  able  to  understand  clearly  how  they  act."  . 

"  Certainly,"  assented  the  medical  man  ;  yet,  perhaps,  un- 
consciously to  himself,  there  was  in  his  manner  something  of 
a  shrinking  from  seeming  to  indorse  anything  irregular  in 
connection  with  medical  practice.  Medical  men  are  called 
narrow,  bigoted,  and  conservative,  and  many  of  them  deserve 
all  that  can  be  urged  against  them  in  this  way,  for  too  often 
a  grave  exterior  and  wise  manner  cover  a  woful  igno- 
rance and  their  practice  is  only  a  stupid  routine.  But  much 
can  be  said  in  extenuation  of  the  conservatism  and  rigid 
attitude  of  the  better  and  really  educated  class  of  the  pro- 
fession when  we  consider  what  a  frightful  imposition  and 
cruel  fraud  quackery  in  all  its  phases  has  been  to  the  race. 
It  has  been  in  most  cases — yes,  the  vast  majority — an  unmit- 
igated evil.  When  we  consider  what  sort  of  men  or  women 
medical  frauds  are,  no  language  can  be  too  strong  in  con- 
demning them.  They  ought  to  be  classed  with  the  sooth- 
sayers, astrologers,  and  exorcists  of  old  times,  and  treated 
accordingly.  But  there  have  been  Natural  Healers,  and  such 
was  undoubtedly  the  ancient  man  who  now  stood  by  the 
sick  woman's  couch  trying  to  soothe  her  delirious  fever  and 
calm  her  into  quiet  slumber.  She  seemed  in  some  way  to 
be  sensible  of  his  presence,  and  grew  quieter,  as  he  touched 
the  hot  hand,  so  wasted  from  its  normal  plumpness.  Ask- 
ing that  all  the  windows  should  be  opened  as  widely  as  pos- 
sible, he  seated  himself  by  the  patient,  still  clasping  her 
hand,  and  further  requested  that  they  be  left  entirely  alone. 

"  If  I  were  a  young  and  strong  man  this  would  not  be 
necessary,"  he  said,  apologetically,  "  for  then  I  could  easily 


THE    RUSSIAN    REFUGEE.  495 

antagonize  ulterior  influences,  and  have  surplus  force  suffi- 
cient to  control  iny  patient ;  but  my  age  and  comparative 
feebleness  render  it  imperative  that  I  should  economize 
my  vital  power  so  as  to  concentrate  all  influence  on  our 
poor  friend  here." 

"I  must  say,  with  all  due  reverence  for  our  aged  friend," 
observed  Dr.  Seaman  to  Elsie,  as  they  stood  outside,  "  that 
I  should  think  more  of  his  therapeutics  if  he  did  not  make 
this  show  of  mystery,  and  this  talk  about  influences.  The 
presence  of  one  person  in  the  room  could  not  have  seriously 
interfered  with  the  modus  operandi,  whatever  it  may  be." 

"  Provided  that  one  person  were  my  sapient  cousin, 
M.D.,"  she  replied,  quickly,  with  a  mischievous  smile. 

"  Well,  yes,  I  think  it  is  being  unnecessarily  exclusive, 
for  if  there  is  a  special  force  which  can  be  utilized  for 
healing  disease  or  relieving  suffering,  it  should  not  be 
shrouded  in  mystery,  but  be  made  known  to  the  world." 

"  Why,  you  most  unreasonable  of  men,  didn't  the  Patri- 
arch explain  that  it  was  on  account  of  his  great  age  that  he 
asked  to  be  left  alone  !  Just  remember  that  at  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  the  powers  of  life  run  at  a  low  tide  and 
any  distracting  influence  may  be  felt  seriously." 

"  Perhaps  so,"  returned  the  other.  "  It  is  a  wonderful 
age,  and  even  a  whim  ought  to  be  respected  in  a  cente- 
narian." 

Adolph  had  gone  off  with  Hiram  and  the  horses,  and  he 
now  returned,  joining  the  two  cousins. 

"  Father  is  in  the  room  with  Gretchen,  I  suppose  ?  Did 
he  turn  you  all  out  ?  "  he  inquired,  with  a  half  smile. 

"  Yes,"  returned  Miss  Hastings  ;  "  and  my  learned  medi- 
cal cousin  here  was  inclined  to  grumble  a  little  at  it  until 
I  showed  him  that  at  your  father's  time  of  life  any  distract- 
ing influence  •  might  seriously  prejudice  his  efforts  in 
Gretchen's  behalf." 

"  That  is  it  exactly,  otherwise  he  would,  I  know,  have 


496  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

been  glad  of  Dr.  Seaman's  presence  in  the  sick-room  ;  in- 
deed he  intimated  as  much  to  me  as  we  came  along." 

"  Oh,  of  course,  I  understand  this  is  an  exceptional  case, 
not  an  ordinary  consultation  in  any  degree,  as  your  father 
is  not  a  practising  physician.  But  naturally  I  have  a  strong 
curiosity  in  reference  to  any  treatment  of  diseased  condi- 
tion, especially  as  in  this  case,  where  the  plan  pursued  is 
so  entirely  foreign  to  my  experience  and  training.  But 
does  the  Patriarch — pardon  my  so  calling  him,  but  I  have 
heard  my  cousin  here  use  that  title,  and  it  is  so  adapted  to 
his  reverend  age — does  he  never  avail  himself  of  the  action 
of  drugs  ?  " 

"  Never,"  replied  the  Kussian  ;  "  he  says  that  drugs  are 
only  a  clumsy  substitute  for  higher  knowledge,  and  that 
the  practice  of  the  future  will  be  largely  mental — the 
power  which  a  healthy  mind,  dwelling  in  a  vigorous,  sound 
body,  can  exert  over  a  weak  and  sickly  one  to  modify  or  re- 
move diseased  conditions." 

"Perhaps  such  a  consummation  of  all  the  long  labors  in 
the  field  of  medical  inquiry  and  experiment  is,  for  human- 
ity's sake,  devoutly  to  be  wished,  but  it  is,  I  fear,  a  remote 
prospect,"  the  physician  answered,  as  if  he  individually  had 
no  great  faith  in  such  a  prophecy. 

"  Father's  step,"  suddenly  remarked  Adolph,  and  all  arose 
from  the  rustic  seats  in  the  little  arbor  at  the  southern  ex- 
posure of  the  cottage — covered  in  the  flush  of  the  season 
with  a  trellis-work  of  vines,  now  partially  withered— as  the 
venerable  man  issued  from  the  dwelling  and  came  slowly 
toward  them.  Saluting  the  group  in  his  old-fashioned, 
courteous  manner,  he  seated  himself  in  their  midst,  and 
without  speaking  closed  his  eyes  as  if  weary. 

For  a  brief  space  no  word  was  said,  and  then  the  silence 
was  broken  by  Dr.  Seaman  saying  softly  to  Adolph  :  "  Per- 
haps your  father  had  better  be  left  alone  for  a  short  time, 
as  he  looks  tired  and  may  wish  to  rest" 


THE    RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  497 

With  that  marvellous  activity  of  the  senses  which  Sea- 
man had  noticed  before,  the  Patriarch  heard  the  low  tone 
and  answered  himself  without,  however,  opening  his  eyes  : 
"  Not  so,  my  son  ;  I  shall  gather  strength  from  you  all,  aided 
by  the  genial  influences  of  this  nectar-like  air.  There,  I  am 
all  right  again  ; "  and  with  the  words,  he  looked  up  and 
smiled  at  the  little  group.  Then  addressing  Elsie  :  "  My 
daughter,  just  step  in  and  see  Gretchen  and  bring  us  a 
report  of  her  condition  now  as  you  find  it,  and  we  will  quiet- 
ly await  your  return  before  resuming  conversation." 

Elsie,  without  speaking,  disappeared  inside  the  cottage, 
and  not  a  word  was  spoken  until  her  return,  nor  did  Sea- 
man feel  any  desire  to  break  the  silence,  for  as  he  remarked 
afterward,  "In  the  presence  of  that  wonderful  old  man  I 
feel  as  if  I  no  longer  had  volition,  but  was  under  the  spell 
of  another  mind,  my  own  will  being  in  abeyance." 

"  Gretchen  is  resting  so  sweetly,  with  her  eyes  closed, 
that  I  did  not  dare  to  speak  to  her  for  fear  she  might  be 
sleeping,  and  she  does  need  the  rest  so  much.  You  have 
worked  a  miracle  on  her,  and  we  all  feel  so  grateful  to  you 
for  coming,  said  Elsie,  upon  her  return." 

Those  smiling  eyes,  set  so  deeply  in  the  aged  face,  re- 
garded her  fixedly  for  an  instant. 

"  No,  my  child,  not  a  miracle  ;  there  is  no  miracle.  I 
merely  brought  my  nature  in  its  healthy,  quiet,  and  unper- 
turbed life  into  mental  and  spiritual  relation  with  the  storm- 
tossed,  feverish,  and  restless  being  of  our  sick  friend  ;  and 
as  nature  always  seeks  equilibrium  and  rest,  although  her 
manifestations  in  constant  change  may  seem  to  indicate  the 
reverse,  our  patient  soon  yielded  to  such  influence  as  I  was 
able  to  bring  to  bear  on  her  disturbed  conditions,  and  she 
sank  into  restful  slumber."  Adding,  after  a  pause,  "You 
can  each  of  you  do  likewise  if  you  will  pay  the  price  for  such 
power.  My  drugs  and  medicamenta  are  less  palpable  and 
tangible  than  those  used  by  our  young  friend  here,  but  just 


498  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

as  definite  in  their  physiological  action,  only  such  action 
is  secondary  to  the  higher  or  psychical  force  exerted  by 
my  peculiar  methods  of  healing." 

"  But,"  eagerly  inquired  the  physician,  "  if  there  exists 
such  a  force  as  you  speak  of  and  indeed  seem  to  possess, 
why  do  so  few  appear  to  be  gifted  with  it  ?  I  have  certainly 
heard  of  these  mind-healers,  among  religious  people  termed 
'  faith-curers,'  since  I  remember,  but  concluded  naturally 
that  they  were  either  impostors  deceiving  for  gain  or  else 
fanatics  working  on  the  imagination — in  any  case  deceivers 
or  deceived.  But  you  invest  the  matter  with  a  reality  I 
did  not  suppose  it  possessed." 

"  No  doubt,  my  young  friend,  there  are  many  frauds  in 
this  way,  but  the  existence  of  the  clever  or  even  crude 
counterfeit  coin  proves,  does  it  not,  the  existence  and  value 
of  the  real  ?  It  is  rarely  that  the  false  or  inferior  is  coun- 
terfeited, the  good  can  scarcely  escape  it,  for  the  instinc- 
tive hunger  of  humanity  for  truth  is  such  that  they  will  ac- 
cept an  imitation  rather  than  absolutely  starve,  and  as  in 
even  the  very  coarsest  vegetables  and  grains  there  is  some 
nutriment,  so  you  will  find  that  whatever  has,  under  the 
form  of  mental  or  spiritual  food,  or  cure  for  diseased  physi- 
cal conditions,  been  offered  through  the  ages  and  been 
largely  accepted  by  them,  has  had  something  in  it  to  satisfy 
their  needs,  and  arrest  in  some  degree  the  famine  that  was 
consuming  them.  In  short,  a  fuller  experience  will  show 
you  that  nothing  that  takes  hold  of  human  life  in  any  large 
degree  is  entirely  evil.  The  instinct  of  the  inferior  creat- 
ures guards  them,  generally,  against  being  poisoned,  al- 
though occasionally  they  will  eat  what  gives  them  pain  and 
suffering,  and  perhaps  death  ;  but,  as  a  rule,  the  absolutely 
poisonous  plants  are  strictly  avoided.  So,  to  some  extent, 
with  our  race ;  and  the  less  cultivated,  the  lower  in  the 
scale,  the  more,  perhaps,  this  unreflecting  tendency  will  save 
them  from  going  wholly  astray,  however  wildly  for  a  time 


THE  EUSSIAN   EEFUGEE.  499 

they  may  wander  from  the  right  road.  However,  this  is 
somewhat  of  a  digression,  and  intended  to  remind  you  that 
invariably  a  modicum  of  good  exists  in  things  evil.  Speak- 
ing more  particularly  of  this  psychic  power  in  its  healing 
action  or  influence  over  disturbed  physical  conditions,  I 
will  say  that  it  is  much  more  common  than  you  suppose. 
That  indeed  all  true  physicians  have  it  to  a  greater  or  less 
extent,  and  just  in  proportion  to  their  real  success.  But 
its  realm  of  action  is  vastly  larger  and  more  extended  than 
the  ordinarily  acknowledged  field  of  therapeutics,  for  it  is 
operating  everywhere  in  our  social  and  domestic  life  to 
restore  and  heal,  to  lift  up,  to  succor,  to  save.  Other 
things  and  agencies  being  estimated  at  their  full  value  in 
the  sick-room,  I  would  still  insist  that  the  patient's  restora- 
tion to  health  depends  very  largely  on  the  degree  of  vigor 
and  health,  freedom  from  anxiety,  and  cheerfulness  of  the 
people  about  him.  If  they  are  hopeful,  sanguine,  calm  in 
spirit,  and  of  what  we  term  a  happy  frame  of  mind,  and  this 
supplemented  by  a  good  degree  of  physical  health,  then 
the  patient  is  under  the  best  conditions  for  recovery.  For 
there  is  a  subtile  influence  going  continually  from  the 
healthy,  cheerful  nurse,  doctor,  or  friend  to  buoy  up  and 
tide  the  sick  one  over  the  weak  places  where  his  tottering 
feet  might  stumble,  and  a  fall  destroy  him.  This  unseen, 
unsuspected  vital  energizing,  something  so  subtile  as  to 
elude  our  most  searching  analysis,  is  beyond  all  pills, 
powders,  potions,  draughts,  and  other  medicamenta  sub- 
ject to  sensual  perception  ;  for  these  latter  are  but  weak 
symbols  of  this — the  true  '  vis  medicatrix.'  " 

"Then  I  infer,"  said  Seaman,  who  had  listened  with  re- 
spectful attention  to  the  aged  speaker,  "  that  you  would 
never  permit  a  weak  or  sickly  person  to  be  in  attendance 
upon  the  sick  in  any  capacity  whatsoever  ?  " 

"  Exactly  what  I  would  teach  and  emphasize  with  all 
authority  possible,  for  according  to  the  degree  of  vigor  in 


500  THE  RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

the  attendants  will  the  sick  person's  chances  of  restoration 
be  enhanced  or  lessened." 

"  I  heartily  agree  with  you  ;  and  for  this  reason,  how 
much  better  to  have  healthy  trained  nurses  instead  of  de- 
pressed, anxious,  and  often  half-invalid  relatives  or  friends 
to  take  charge  of  the  sick-room  !  "  responded  the  physician, 
warmly. 

"I  think  I  understand,"  said  Elsie,  speaking  for  the 
first  time  since  the  conversation  began,  "how  that  the  rel- 
atives naturally  suppose  that  their  affection  and  devotion 
will  enable  them  to  fill  the  position  of  attendant  as  no 
stranger  could  do,  not  knowing  that  they  are,  if  depressed 
or  feeble,  or  both,  really  exhausting  the  vitality  and  lessen- 
ing the  chances  of  the  dear  one." 

"You  have  aptly  and  clearly  expressed  my  idea,  my 
child,  and  when  the  world  sees  this  truth  in  relation  to  the 
sick  it  will  have  taken  an  important  step  toward  that 
blessed  period  in  the  future  history  of  our  planet,  when 
through  a  better  understanding  of  the  laws  which  govern 
vital  action  sickness  will  be  unknown,"  rejoined  the  old 
man,  gazing  with  a  gratified  air  on  the  young  lady. 

"  If  you  are  not  too  tired  I  would  like  to  ask  another 
question  or  so,"  said  Seaman. 

"It  is  not  fatiguing  to  me  to  converse  in  this  way  on  such 
subjects,  and  I  shall  be  pleased  to  answer  if  I  can,  any  ques- 
tions on  this  or  other  topics  on  which  you  seek  light.  But 
suppose,  doctor,  you  first  step  in  and  see  the  patient  and 
give  us  the  benefit  of  your  opinion  on  her  present  condi- 
tion?" 

"  Certainly,"  and  the  medical  man  entered  the  dwelling, 
returning  in  about  five  minutes.  "  I  am  happy  to  state  that 
Gretchen  is  doing  well,  and  at  present  sleeping,  apparently 
not  having  awakened  since  Elsie  saw  her,  and  that  is 
Hiram's  statement  too,  sitting  within  call.  Her  temperature 
is  almost  normal,  and  that  feverish  restlessness  is  hardly 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  501 

noticeable.  What  she  needed  was  tranquillizing  slumber, 
and  that  she  is  now  enjoying.  You  have  succeeded,  appar- 
ently, in  calming  that  hypersensitive  state  into  which  she 
had  fallen,  and  that  is  the  greatest  boon  you  could  confer." 

"I  rejoice  to  hear  you  speak  so  favorably,  doctor,  and  am 
satisfied  that  if  this  sleep  continues  an  hour  or  so  longer 
the  crisis  will  be  passed.  Do  you  not  agree  with  me  ?  " 

Seaman  promptly  answered  :  "  Yes,  I  feel  she  will  be  out 
of  danger,  if  she  can  only  rest  as  she  is  now  doing  for  a 
while  longer.  But  I  must  hasten  to  ask  my  questions,  as  I 
have  some  pressing  claims  upon  my  attention,  many  miles 
from  here.  I  wish  to  ask,  How  can  this  power  which  you 
seem  to  possess  over  disturbed  physical  or  mental  states 
be  acquired,  if  that  is  possible,  or  is  it  only  the  natural  gift 
of  a  chosen  few,  like  the  faculty  for  music,  for  instance  ?  " 

"  The  power  you  speak  of,  my  son,"  the  old  man  an- 
swered, deliberately,  after  a  short  pause,  "  is  the  natural 
fruit  of  the  tree  of  life — the  necessary  sequence  of  large 
repeated  life — and  may  be  manifested  in  one  as  music; 
in  another,  as  artistic  power  ;  in  a  third,  as  wonderful 
eloquence  ;  or  it  may  be  exhibited  as  phenomenal  literary 
ability ;  or,  as  in  the  cases  you  have  more  immediately 
alluded  to,  as  exceptional  control  over  disease,  commonly 
called  natural  healing  power.  But  it  is  one  and  the  self- 
same thing  in  all  these  manifestations.  Thus,  Handel  and 
Mozart,  Angelo  and  Raphael,  Demosthenes  and  Cicero, 
Shakespeare  and  Goethe,  not  to  mention  other  examples 
which  will  easily  occur  to  you,  were  the  natural  and  neces- 
sary outcome  of  somewhat  similar  conditions,  and  through 
these  varied  channels,  and  by  such  different  modes,  mani- 
fested a  power  which  was  remarkable,  and,  until  we  come  to 
understand  the  laws  of  its  growth,  perplexing  and  bewilder- 
ing. But,  my  friends,  these  phenomenal  members  of  our 
race  are  simply  older  men,  who  give  us  the  garnered  har- 
vestings of  many  life-fields.  Were  this  their  first  or  even 


502  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

second  arrival  on  our  planet,  they  could  not  show  such  ex- 
ceptional ability.  Nature  works  slowly,  and  takes  long, 
long  periods  to  produce  a  diamond,  or  an  amethyst,  or  any 
other  thing  of  rare  quality  and  value  ;  and  shall  she  do  less 
by  mind,  by  soul,  by  spirit,  by  all  that  combination  of 
wondrous  elements  which  are  found  in  the  leaders  of  our 
race?  These  gifted  ones  have  been  here  before,  and  had 
probably  many  birthdays  on  this  planet,  and  it  is  this  re- 
peated experience  of  our  earth-life  which  has  developed  and 
sharpened  their  powers,  and  given  them  that  keenness  of 
perception  and  marked  ability  which  distinguishes  them 
from  their  fellows.  They  have  graduated  so  often  at  the 
same  school,  that  they  can  easily  take  the  honors.  But  my 
young  friend  the  doctor  is,  I  fear,  laughing  at  my  theories, 
as  he  will  term  them,  esteeming  them  but  as  the  vagaries 
of  senility."  For  the  medical  man  had  smiled  broadly 
during  the  last  sentence  or  so,  and  now  started  almost 
superstitiously  ;  for  he  was  sitting  so  that  the  speaker  could 
not  see  his  face,  and  besides,  the  eyes  of  the  Patriarch  had 
been  closed,  as  was  his  wont  frequently  when  speaking 
continuously  for  any  length  of  time.  Before  Seaman,  who 
was  somewhat  confused,  could  answer,  the  old  man  re- 
marked, "  I  did  not  see  you  smile,  my  son,  but  felt  it,  for 
sight  and  vision  do  not  pertain  only  to  the  eyes  ;  knowledge 
may  arrive  at  the  mind  by  many  channels." 

"Pardon  me,  my  dear  sir,  I  only  smiled  at  the  novelty 
of  the  thoughts,  and  at  the  curious  fancies  to  which  they 
gave  rise  in  my  mind.  Pray  go  on,  for  I  am  really  much 
interested.  But  may  I  ask  if  we  are  to  infer,  from  what 
you  have  said,  that  you  think  these  special  men,  Shakes- 
peare, Goethe,  etc.,  have  been  born  into  the  world  again 
and  again,  until  they  have  reached  the  degree  of  superior 
development  which  so  astonishes  and  delights  us  ?  But  the 
thought  naturally  occurs,  why  should  they  be  thus  distin- 
guished above  others.  For,  if  it  is  the  continual  rebirth 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  503 

which  gradually  gives  them  superiority,  they  were  origin- 
ally no  higher  than  their  fellows ;  and  why  have  the}'  been 
thus  favored  ?  " 

The  Patriarch  regarded  the  little  group  before  him  with  a 
benevolent  half  smile.  "  Only  those  are  reborn  on  our  planet 
who  lack  something  in  their  development  that  earth  alone 
can  give.  Each  world  in  the  universe  of  being  has  some 
special  part  to  perform  in  the  training  and  development  of 
sentient  beings,  and  no  other  can  take  the  place  of  ours  in 
affording  this  essential '  something  '  to  the  beings  who  have 
once  reached  this  stage  of  their  growth  in  their  upward 
progress.  It  may  be  that  this  necessary  quality  is  of 
a  moral  or  spiritual  nature — I  hardly  think  it  is  merely  in- 
tellectual, as  that  can  be  developed  in  other  spheres  of 
action  equally  well.  However,  be  it  what  it  may,  the  ab- 
sence of  it  on  leaving  this  stage  would  necessitate  a  return 
by  rebirth.  This  must  be  repeated  until  the  lesson  is 
learned,  and  then  the  soul  will  pass  on  to  the  next  stage  of 
being.  Now,  the  intellectual  power  which  attracts  so  much 
admiration  here  is  incidental  merely,  and  a  result  of  these 
repeated  experiences." 

"Then,  father,"  quietly  asked  Elsie,  who  had  been  ab- 
sorbed in  attention,  "  we  are  not  to  understand  that  all  re- 
turn to  earth  after  death  ?  " 

"By  no  means,  my  daughter  ;  a  considerable  number  of 
those  who  return  are  the  souls  which  have  prematurely 
passed  through  death's  portals,  before  sufficient  earthly 
years  had  been  theirs  to  give  them  the  growth  possible  to 
be  obtained  here.  Many  are  the  spirits  of  those  who, 
though  living  out  the  full  tale  of  years,  yet  through  indo- 
lence or  obeying  low  instincts,  did  not  progress,  and  so  re- 
mained as  children,  only  lacking  the  purity  and  innocence 
of  that  condition,  but  children  so  far  as  development  in  the 
higher  lines  of  life  is  concerned — morally  and  spiritually." 

Here  the  doctor  rose,  saying  :  "  Thank  you  ever  so  much 


504  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

for  answering  my  questions.  You  have  given  me  some- 
thing to  think  about  during  my  ride,  for  the  time  warns 
me  I  must  be  off.  Perhaps,  when  I  have  been  born  a  few 
more  times,  I  shall  be  able  to  cure  my  patients  without 
visiting  them  at  all,  by  mere  effort  of  the  will.  Who  knows  ? 
I  do  hope  I  shall  be  privileged  soon  again  to  hear  you  on 
these,  to  me,  very  interesting  subjects."  Clasping  the  hand 
of  the  aged  man  warmly,  and  then  successively  those  of 
Elsie  and  Adolph  with  "  Good-by,"  Seaman  drove  rapidly 
away.  This  broke  up  the  party,  and  all  were  soon  wending 
their  several  ways  homeward. 


CHAPTER  XLIH. 

A   NEW   DEPARTURE. 

THE  good-humored  Dutch  woman  awoke  from  her  life- 
saving  slumber  about  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  the 
day  the  Patriarch  visited  her  with  such  soothing  effect,  and 
exclaimed  at  once:  "Hiram,  mine  husband,  I  vas  better; 
that  old  man  am  goot.  Is  my  boy  Hans  here,  somewheres  ?  " 

Poor  Hans,  who  had  been  half  demented  at  the  thought 
of  his  mother's  peril,  spending  a  large  part  of  his  time  in 
passing  between  the  Hermitage  and  the  cottage,  happened 
to  be  in  the  adjoining  room,  and  at  once  came  in  on  hear- 
ing the  welcome  voice.  He  kissed  the  sick  woman  fondly, 
and  danced  around  the  room  for  joy.  If,  as  Hiram  had 
expressed  it,  he  had  before  been  "  like  a  wet  chicken,"  he 
now  acted  like  chanticleer  at  sunrise,  and  could  hardly 
restrain  the  exuberance  of  his  joy. 

Yes,  Gretchen  went  on  to  convalescence  without  a  single 
mishap,  and  excepting  the  loss  of  some  forty  pounds  from 
her  rotundity  of  form,  soon  was  as  well  as  ever,  and  consid- 
erably more  active  than  she  had  been  for  years.  Singu- 
larly enough,  Hiram  had  gained  just  about  as  much  flesh 
as  his  wife  had  lost,  no  doubt  from  the  sedentary  life  he 
had  been  compelled  to  live  during  the  long  weeks  of  sick- 
ness. It  improved  his  appearance  much,  relieving  some- 
what the  gauntness  of  his  general  aspect. 

"Blamed  if  it  ain't  curus !  no  loss  anyhow,  sense  it's  still 
in  the  family  ;  guess  Gretchen  could  spare  the  fat  better'n 
1  could,  an'  sense  it's  come  my  way,  guess  I  kin  take  care 


506  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

of  it  for  her,"  he  said,  with  a  characteristic  grimace,  when 
congratulated  on  his  physical  gain. 

"  Mine  blessed  Mees  Elsie,  h'ow  goot  you  have  been  to 
me  !  I  should  die  only  for  you  und  the  one  dear  old  man. 
Have  you  seen  the  old  man  soon,  Miss  Elsie  ?  "  said  the 
talkative  convalescent,  as  the  young  lady  seated  herself 
after  her  walk  on  one  of  her  visits  to  the  cottage  shortly 
after  Gretchen  was  able  to  leave  her  bed  and  move  about 
in  the  muscularly  feeble  way  that  naturally  follows  a  length- 
ened period  of  forced  inactivity. 

"  Yes,  Gretchen  ;  but  you  keep  your  seat.  You  are  yet 
too  weak  to  be  moving  about  so  much.  Let  your  visitors 
wait  on  themselves.  I  saw  Mr.  Kuprianoff  yesterday  and 
had  a  delightful  talk  with  him.  He  was  up  at  the  Hermit- 
age." 

"  Ha  !  ha  !  dot  is  so  goot !  Dear  old  man."  And  then, 
with  a  meaning  smile,  "An'  the  oder  one,  Meester 
Adolph,  you  see  him  too,  Mees  Elsie  ?  " 

The  smile  more  than  the  words  brought  a  vivid  blush  to 
the  cheek  of  the  fair  visitor,  as  she  answered  :  "  Yes,  you 
know,  Gretchen,  such  an  aged  man  could  not  come  alone. 
He  needs  his  son  to  take  care  of  him.  But,  how  are  you 
feeling  to-day  ?  " 

"First  rate,  very  goot;"  then  reverting  to  the  other 
topic,  as  if  determined  not  to  let  Elsie  change  the  conver- 
sation until  she  had  solved  some  point  in  her  mind,  "  Mr. 
Adolph  is  one  splendid  goot  man.  Hans — you  know  what 
a  fine  boy  mine  Hans  is,  Mees  Elsie  ?— Hans  say  Mr.  Adolph 
is  one  fine  man,  most  so  good  as  Meester  Hastings.  Yet." 

The  visitor  was  unpleasantly  conscious  that  the  twinkling 
eyes  of  the  merry  woman  were  fixed  upon  her  face  with  a 
purpose,  and  this  consciousness  gave  her  cheeks  a  height- 
ened color  that  only  aggravated  the  matter. 

Gretchen  seemed  to  take  exquisite  pleasure  in  singing 
the  praises  of  the  Cave-dwellers,  and  waxed  fairly  eloquent 


THE   RUSSIAN   EEFUGEE.  507 

in  her  peculiar  phraseology  when  dwelling  on  the  virtues 
of  Adolph.  It  was  easy  to  see  that  he  was  a  great  favorite 
with  the  trapper's  wife,  although  she  had  not,  in  Elsie's  rec- 
ollection, said  very  much  about  him  before ;  his  father 
seemed  to  hold  chief  place  in  her  large,  motherly  heart,  next 
to  Hans,  of  course.  Elsie  half  suspected  this  unusual 
praise  might  be  intended  to  please  her,  or  perhaps  to  elicit 
some  expression  of  her  f eeling  toward  the  younger  Russian, 
so  she  was  very  wary  in  her  replies,  and  allowed  the  good 
woman  to  speak  freely  out  of  the  fulness  of  her  heart. 
It  seemed  that  Adolph  had  during  the  sickness  visited 
them  regularly  every  day,  sometimes  even  twice  a  day, 
bringing  them,  from  time  to  time,  such  things  as  he 
thought  might  be  needed,  and  also  attended  to  Hiram's 
traps  for  him,  bringing  in  a  constant  supply  of  game, 
the  surplus  of  which,  being  disposed  of  by  the  "  Giraffe," 
yielded  a  small  income  to  the  cottage,  sufficient  to  cover  all 
necessary  expenses.  He  had  been  truly  a  friend  in  need, 
and  deserved  gratitude,  and  Elsie  soon  perceived  this  was  a 
large  factor  in  inducing  the  present  outburst  of  enthusi- 
astic admiration.  However,  allowing  for  a  little  natural 
over-coloring,  Elsie  gathered  from  the  rather  discursive  talk 
of  the  trapper's  wife  many  interesting  facts,  going  far  to 
confirm  her  previous  impression  as  to  the  exceptionally 
pure,  healthful,  natural  life  led  by  this  isolated  and  almost 
unknown  family.  So  outside  of  common  life  indeed  was 
theirs  that  the  aged  Russian  had,  according  to  popular  opin- 
ion, been  dead  over  half  a  century,  although  at  one  time  he 
had  been  a  well-known  if  not  popular  dweller  in  the  neigh- 
borhood, owning  a  fine  property  in  their  midst. 

Then  Gretchen  confided  to  her  visitor  the  fear  that  she 
had  of  Adolph's  going  away,  as  he  had  often  spoken  of 
lately,  to  engage  in  some  business  for  himself,  as  he  felt 
that  he  was  wasting  his  life,  and  must  do  something  for  the 
world.  "  My,  my,  Mees  Elsie,  it  would  the  old  man  kill ; 


508  THE   RUSSIAN   EEFUGEE. 

that  poor  old  man  would  be  dead  quite  in  one  week  if  Mr. 
Adolph  go." 

Elsie  here  incautiously  asked  the  question  as  to  why  he 
should  go,  saying  that  she  was  sure  he  led  a  useful,  good 
life  where  he  was.  This  gave  Gretchen  the  opportunity 
she  had  been  longing  for,  and  she  confidentially  imparted 
her  belief  that  he  was  the  victim  of  a  hopeless  attachment ; 
that  a  certain  young  lady  had  won  his  heart,  and  that,  de- 
spairing of  ever  winning  her,  he  felt  he  must  abandon  the 
neighborhood  and  seek  a  career  in  which  he  could  drown 
his  memories.  All  this  was  told  in  the  compromise  Eng- 
lish, which  lent  piquancy  to  the  story,  and  Elsie,  in  spite  of 
a  conviction  that  the  recital  of  the  rather  romantic  inci- 
dents was  for  her  special  benefit,  and  told  at  her  rather 
than  to  her — curious  eyes  watching  her  closely  all  the  time 
— could  hardly  control  her  risibilities  at  the  ludicrous 
gestures  and  expressions  of  the  jovial  and  sympathetic 
speaker. 

"  Oh,  mine  Gott,  what  shall  we  do  all  ef  Meester  Adolph 
leave  us  ?  Hans  say — you  know  Hans,  mine  fine  boy,  Mees 
Elsie  ?— Hans  he  say,  he  go  too,  an'  so  I  lose  mine  boy.  Oh  ! 
oh  !  how  shall  I  do,  mine  Gott !  I  must  go  too." 

This  was  too  much  for  Elsie,  who  laughed  aloud  at  the 
serio-comic  aspect  of  the  warm-hearted  woman.  "  Why, 
Gretchen,  what  nonsense  ;  you  are  the  drollest  and  funniest 
person,  when  you  get  started,  I  ever  saw.  Why,  you  are 
making  a  mountain  out  of  a  molehill.  Nobody  is  going 
away.  I  am  sure  Mr.  Adolph  would  not  be  so  cruel  as  to 
leave  his  father  at  his  time  of  life." 

She  would  have  added  more,  but  at  this  moment  a  shadow 
darkened  the  doorway,  and  a  well-known  voice  said, 
quietly  :  "Is  there  room  for  another  friend,  or  am  I  intrud- 
ing on  a  private  conversation  ?  " 

The  red  deepened  for  an  instant  on  Elsie's  cheeks  and 
then  receded,  leaving  her  face  of  almost  alabaster  paleness. 


THE   KUSSIAN   KEFUGEE.  ^09 

"Come  in,  Mr.  Adolph,"  she  said,  almost  timidly,  and  with 
a  hesitancy  unusual  to  her.  "  We  are  glad  to  see  you." 

Her  womanly  instincts  made  her  shrink  from  the  suppo- 
sition that  he  had  heard  her  last  words  to'  Gretchen, 
coupled  with  his  name,  and  might  put  a  wrong  construc- 
tion on  them.  She  wanted  to  tell  him  the  subject  of  their 
conversation,  but  hardly  knew  how  to  begin,  when  he  re- 
lieved her  embarrassment  by  saying  :  "I  would  not  have 
intruded  when  I  heard  you  speaking,  but  knowing  my  time 
was  limited,  wished  to  bid  you  both  good-by." 

"  Good-by  !  "  exclaimed  both  his  hearers  at  once,  at  the 
same  time  changing  glances. 

"  Yes,"  returned  the  other,  sadly  ;  "  I  leave  for  the  West 
to-night.  The  truth  is,  I  have  been  offered  a  position  in 
connection  with  an  exploring  and  surveying  expedition,  just 
organized  by  the  government." 

It  seemed  that  Professor  Crebbs,  who  had  been  placed  in 
charge  of  the  natural  science  department  of  the  undertaking 
had  been  inquiring  for  someone  skilful  in  wood-craft,  and 
with  some  practical  knowledge  of  plants,  and  had  appealed 
to  the  editor  of  Nature,  who  at  once  named  Adolph,  showing 
the  article  he  had  written.  Crebbs  promptly  wrote,  offering 
him  a  position  upon  his  staff,  and  urging  his  acceptance. 
"  It  was  just  the  position  to  meet  my  views,  for  I  am  too  much 
a  child  of  Nature  ever  to  be  able  to  endure  sedentary  life  of 
any  kind.  And  yet,"  he  added,  putting  his  hand  to  his 
forehead  in  an  abstracted  way,  "  I  have  a  sort  of  dreamy 
memory  of  a  past  when  I  was  a  devoted  bookworm,  and 
spent  most  of  my  waking  hours  absorbed  in  study  and 
contemplation.  I  do  not  know  how  you  will  regard  such  a 
peculiar  notion,"  he  said  to  Elsie,  for  the  conversation  was 
between  these  two,  Gretchen  having  left  the  room  ;  "  per- 
haps you  will  call  it  a  dream,  and  possibly  it  may  be,  for  it 
is  but  rarely  the  remembrance  comes  to  me  ;  only,  when  I 
am  very  deeply  moved  or  excited,  or  physically  exhausted, 


510  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

in  the  lethargic  state  which  succeeds,  I  am  apt  to  have  this 
vision  of  an  existence  in  which  I  seem  to  play  the  principal 
part,  but  of  which  in  rny  ordinary  condition  I  have  no 
knowledge  whatsoever.  Forgive  my  talking  so  much  to 
you  about  myself  in  this  way,  but  just  as  I  entered,  this 
vision  of  other  days,  so  to  speak,  came  to  me  with  such 
power  that  I  could  not  help  alluding  to  it." 

"Believe  me,"  his  hearer  answered,  with  some  feeling, 
"  I  am  intensely  interested  in  such  mental  phenomena,  and 
would  fain  know  more  about  the  laws  which  control  our 
lives.  I  almost  envy  your  experience,  for  if  we  really  did 
have  a  life  before  this  one,  as  your  father  insists,  it  seems 
too  bad  to  forget  it  entirely,  as  certainly  most  of  us  do." 

"  Yet  I  feel  half  ashamed  of  myself  for  introducing  such 
a  subject  now  ;  but  one's  feelings  are  not  always  under  con- 
trol, and  to-day,  somehow,  serious,  if  not  sombre,  thoughts 
are  uppermost.  I  know  it  sounds  childish,  but  leaving  you 

all  here  goes  rather  hard  with " 

His  voice  was  husky,  as  he  turned  aside  for  a  moment  to 
recover  himself. 

"  But  you  will  return  shortly — in  a  few  weeks  at  most  ?  " 
"I  may  never  return,"  he  replied,  sadly — "  that  is,  for  per- 
manent residence.  Of  course  " — noting  her  look  of  inquir- 
ing astonishment — "I  shall  probably  take  a  flying  trip  oc- 
casionally to  see  my  father  and — and  " — he  stammered 
painfully,  as  if  unable  to  proceed,  and  then  getting  control 
of  thoughts  and  tongue,  as  with  tremendous  effort  of  will, 
continued — "  my  other  friends  here,  if  they  have  not  for- 
gotten me." 

Elsie  both  felt  and  looked  more  distressed  than  she  could 
express,  and  a  half  feeling  of  indignation,  too,  mingled  with 
her  emotions,  at  the  apparent  wilfulness  thus  displayed  in 
violently  severing  these  filial  and  friendly  relations  for  no 
earthly  purpose.  "  Why,  I  cannot  understand,  if  it  is  so 
distressing  for  you  to  leave,  and  your  father  so  very  old— 


THE   RUSSIAN   KEFUGEE.  511 

forgive  my  saying  so,  but  it  doesn't  seem  quite  right,"  and 
then  all  at  once  she  remembered  the  words  of  Gretchen, 
and  her  lips  were  chained. 

His  eyes  were  wistfully  reading,  or  trying  to  read,  -her 
face,  and  an  expression  like  the  flashing  light  of  morning 
for  a  second  relieved  the  melancholy  of  his  countenance,  to 
be  only  succeeded  by  still  deeper  gloom.  "If  I  dared 

think But  no,  I  am  a  fool,"  he  said,  almost  harshly,  as 

if  chiding  his  inner  self.  "  Forgive  me.  It  is,  indeed,  like 
cutting  off  my  hand  to  go  away.  But  my  life  is  vacant 
here,  my  way  is  hedged  up,  my  horizon  draws  in  so  closely 
that  I  no  longer  seem  to  have  a  landscape.  I  feel  that  I 
must  burst  the  bonds  that  bind  me,  even  if  my  heart-strings 
are  snapped  in  the  attempt." 

He  spoke  with  an  impetuosity  that  was  foreign  to  his 
usually  quiet,  self-contained  manner,  but  she  had  long  sus- 
pected that  latent  power  and  volcanic  energy  lay  behind 
this  placid  exterior,  although  the  iron  will  had  hitherto, 
with  one  or  two  slight  exceptions — mere  whisperings  of 
possible  storms — held  these  spirit- surgings  rigorously  in 
check  She  never  could  resist  the  feeling,  when  in  his 
company,  of  the  presence  of  tremendous  possibility  of 
force  and  potency  of  action  held  in  and  controlled  by  mas- 
terly self-command. 

What  a  complex  problem  human  nature  is  !  How  many  a 
calm-faced  individual  we  meet  who  has  centuries  of  won- 
drous experience  behind  him.  He  the  living  faucet  of  a 
stream  of  tendencies  which  has  flowed  on  and  on  through 
those  past  generations  of  ancestors.  He  lives  and  moves 
placidly  enough  in  the  present,  but  his  source  of  far-off 
supply  is  the  mountain-lake  of  a  savage  era  tossed  by  the 
whirling  storms  of  human  passion.  Quiet,  respectable, 
civilized,  he  walks  to  and  fro  unruffled  amid  the  stupid 
ways  of  ordinary  men.  But  beware  should  circumstances 
or  soul-stirring  experiences  rouse  the  pent-up  forces  slum- 


512  THE   RUSSIAN    REFUGEE. 

bering  there,  or  a  transformation  scene  may  confront  you 
with  all  the  untamable  fury  and  ruthlessness  of  a  torrid 
simoon.  Humanity  is  pliable  and  dull  enough  in  many  of 
its  phases,  commonplace,  too,  in  its  ordinary  manifestations, 
but  not  the  dough  we  sometimes  deem  it,  by  any  means, 
receiving  the  print  of  our  clasping  fingers  for  weal  or  woe, 
in  pity  or  in  anger,  without  emotion.  There  are  tearless 
eyes  fixed  with  burning  glances  upon  those  often  thought- 
lessly made  finger-marks  of  ours,  and  behind  the  eyes,  brains 
full  to  the  brim  with  the  passionate  instincts  of  a  forgotten 
but  yet  potent  past,  and  hot  with  wild  tendencies  to  rudely 
but  effectually  wipe  out  and  forever  obliterate  those  care- 
less, but,  as  you  thought,  perhaps,  indelible  impressions. 
Yes,  the  markings  and  tracings,  the  rules  and  laws  of  so- 
ciety, the  restrictions  of  civilized  life,  are,  after  all,  in  many 
cases  but  the  gilt,  or  varnish,  or  veneering  laid  with  more 
or  less  skill  upon  a  deep  background  of  savagery.  The 
temperate  zones  which  thinly  belt  the  mighty  torrid  region 
and  are  atmospherically  governed  by  the  ceaseless  pulsa- 
tions of  its  fiery  heart  are  liable  at  any  moment  to  be  in- 
vaded by  the  destroying  agencies  which  seethe  and  boil 
and  sputter  in  the  vast  caldron  heated  by  those  unseen 
fires.  Nothing  in  nature  so  misunderstood,  so  mismeas- 
ured,  as  man  ;  and  to  this  ignorance  is  due  our  astonish- 
ment and  dismay  when  revolutions  and  riots,  and  fearful 
wars,  and  carnage  and  massacres,  reveal  for  a  moment  the 
underlying  fires  beneath  our  feet,  and  over  which  we  walk 
so  securely  day  by  day.  But  what  has  this  got  to  do  with 
our  story,  with  the  Eussian  or  the  heiress  of  the  Hermitage  ? 
Merely  the  reminder  that  each  individual  is  a  special  study, 
and  liable  to  spring  surprises  upon  you  at  any  moment. 
That  he  is  not  alone,  segregated  and  cut  off  from  the  past, 
but  represents  the  feelings,  emotions,  tendencies,  peculiar- 
ities, vices,  and  virtues  of  an  antecedent  host  of  other  in- 
dividuals, called  ancestors.  So,  treat  him  as  you  would  an 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  513 

ambassador  from  a  foreign  and  unseen,  but  yet  real,  con- 
stituency, which  he  represents,  and  in  whose  name  he 
speaks. 

The  Latin  and  Slavonic  races  spoke  in  the  man  stand- 
ing by  Elsie  Hastings,  his  whole  frame  swelling  with  the 
emotions  which  overpowered  him — too  strong  to  be  con- 
trolled, and  yet  too  deep  to  find  relief  in  words.  His  eyes 
dilated  like  those  of  some  poor  hunted  denizen  of  the 
woods  brought  to  bay  by  the  hounds,  with  their  cruel, 
pitiless  glare  and  long,  red,  hungry  jaws.  It  looks  on  either 
side,  but  the  open,  cavernous  mouths,  with  the  gleaming 
white  teeth  and  sanguinary,  ravenous  tongues,  lapping,  in 
anticipation,  the  warm  blood  of  the  victim,  meet  it  in  close- 
gathering  folds  of  remorseless  destruction.  She  saw  the 
strong  agony  of  his  vigorous  nature  as  he  seemed  to 
wrestle  with  invisible  enemies,  which  he  felt  were  rapidly 
worsting  him  in  the  contest.  To  see  a  brave  swimmer 
carried  down-stream  and  submerged  by  a  strong  undertow 
which  shows  not  to  the  observer,  and  only  suggests  its 
presence  by  the  frantic  contortions  and  efforts  to  resist  its 
influence  made  by  him  who  struggles  fiercely,  madly, 
despairingly  against  it — fills  us  with  pit}'  and  sympathetic 
suffering  similar  to  what  the  observer  felt  now.  There 
was  the  warm  Italian  blood  fiercely  leaping  through  his 
veins,  inflaming  and  goading  him  to  make  everything 
subservient  to  the  passionate  emotion  of  the  moment.  But 
there  was  countering  this  the  strength  and  moral  integrity 
which  we  often  find  among  the  better  products  of  that 
much-enduring  race  which  has  spread  its  rule  over  so  large 
a  section  of  Europe  and  Asia. 

Yes,  right  or  wrong,  this  representative  of  two  great 
branches  of  the  mighty  Aryan  family — the  ancient  stock 
whose  qualities,  modified  and  moulded  by  long  centuries  of 
varied  experience,  with  such  diverse  results  in  North  and 
South — this  Russian  had  decided  to  sacrifice  inclination, 
33 


614  THE   RUSSIAN   EEFUGEE. 

affection,  home,  and  everything  which  apparently  made  life 
for  him  worth  having  on  the  altar  of  an  almost  puritanic 
conscience. 

Elsie  felt  rather  than  knew  this  when  Adolph  at  length 
turned  toward  her  again  with  a  calm  face  and  the  old  smile, 
and  retraced  the  steps  he  had  unconsciously  taken  when  in 
the  throes  of  the  mental  contest  through  which  he  had  been 
passing.  "  Pardon  me,  my  dear  friend — I  have  conquered, 
I  am  myself  again.  Thank  God,  the  agony  of  death  is  past ; 
I  can  leave  you — that  is  " — with  something  of  the  former 
hesitancy  returning — "  I  can  leave  home  and  carry  out  my 
resolution.  We  all  have  our  hours  of  weakness,  you  know, 
and  I  have  just  had  one  of  mine,  and  it  seemed  as  if  for  the 
moment  the  iron  hand  of  cruel  Destiny  had  me  by  the 
throat  and  was  shutting  off  the  sweet  breath  of  life.  I  re- 
gret that  perhaps  I  have  made  you  suffer  " — for  the  tears 
which  had  sprung  unbidden  to  her  eyes  and  were  not  yet 
dry  on  her  cheek  caught  his  glance — "  for  your  warm  heart 
feels  for  every  pain.  I  do  not  very  often  lose  my  self-com- 
mand," he  said,  deprecatingly.  "I  came  to  say  a  cheerful 
good- by,  and  I  have  cast  a  gloom  over  your  spirits  by  my 
weakness.  Please  to  forget  it,  and  let  me  walk  toward  home 
with  you — it  is  on  my  way,  and  I  would  like  to  say  good-by 
to  your  father.  Gretchen,  good  friend,  where  are  you  ?—  I 
must  say  farewell." 

The  trapper's  wife  entered  with  a  little  basket  which  she 
insisted  on  his  taking,  containing,  as  she  informed  him,  some 
special  products  of  her  culinary  skill  which  would  do  for 
his  lunch.  He  accepted  it,  as  Elsie  saw,  not  to  offend  the 
kind  feeling  which  prompted  the  worthy  soul  in  giving  it. 

"  Goot-by— goot-by.  Hans  vill  go  crazy,  he  vill,"  she 
ejaculated,  between  her  sobs,  casting,  as  Elsie  thought,  re- 
proachful glances  in  her  direction,  as  if  she  were  in  some  de- 
gree accountable  for  this  calamity.  But  sorrow  for  any 
length  of  time  was  impossible  to  the  sunny,  hopeful  nature 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  515 

of  the  jovial  old  Dutchwoman,  and  so  before  Adolph 
crossed  the  threshold  she  had  dried  her  tears  and  was  call- 
ing out  to  him  :  "  Now,  Meester  Adolph,  you  moost  coome 
back  soon  quick  an'  see  Miss  Elsie  an'  your  fader  an'  your 
friends." 

"All  right — I'll  not  forget  any  of  my  friends,  Gretchen," 
said  Adolph,  hoping  to  draw  off  Elsie's  attention  from  the 
rather  personal  nature  of  the  old  woman's  last  remark,  and 
which  he  feared  might  annoy  her. 

The  walk  to  the  Hermitage  from  the  cottage  usually  oc- 
cupied Elsie  three-fourths  of  an  hour,  but  on  this  occasion 
more  than  an  hour  elapsed,  so  slowly  did  they  proceed. 
Adolph  had  much  to  tell  about  his  plans,  and  also  of  the 
work  they  were  going  to  engage  in.  It  seemed  that  the 
party  was  destined  for  Southern  New  Mexico,  where  they 
were  to  spend  the  winter,  at  or  in  the  vicinity  of  the  United 
States  camp  located  there.  The  climate  would  permit  their 
working  nearly  all  winter,  principally  in  geological  investi- 
gations, and  in  preparing  for  the  coming  spring  and  sum- 
mer campaign.  Her  companion  seemed  full  of  his  topic, 
but  Elsie  could  see  that  he  dwelt  on  these  matters  in  order 
to  avoid  reverting  to  more  painful  ones,  doubtless  fearing  a 
return  of  the  emotions  which  had  so  nearly  overcome  him 
a  short  time  since.  "  But,"  she  asked,  finally,  when  he  had 
given  a  somewhat  glowing  description  of  the  country  and 
work  before  them,  "is  there  not  great  peril  from  those 
dreadful  Apaches  and  other  Indian  tribes  about  there  ?  " 

"  Oh,  there  are  plenty  of  the  red  men  there,  no  doubt," 
and  she  thought  she  discerned  a  gleam  in  his  eyes  and  a 
ring  in  his  voice,  as  if  the  excitement  of  this  danger  were  one 
of  the  fascinations  of  the  expedition,  as  affording  a  possible 
distraction  to  the  restless,  feverish  something  which  seemed 
to  be  undermining  his  peace. 

That  walk  was  never  forgotten  by  either  of  them,  but 
remained  as  a  deep  line  or  thread  having  a  peculiar  tint  of 


516  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

its  own  and  quite  different  from  the  rest  of  the  woof  which 
Time  with  his  rapid  shuttle  wove  into  the  warp  of  their 
lives.  And  yet  it  was  not  for  what  was  said,  as,  apart  from 
Adolph's  sketches  of  the  new  work  and  settlement,  the 
conversation  was  filled  with  commonplaces,  but  there  was 
a  deep  undercurrent  of  thought  and  feeling  and  question 
and  answer  going  on,  which  filled  hearts  and  minds  to 
running  over,  and  made  days  and  weeks  of  preceding  and 
after  ordinary  life  seem  cheap  and  barren  and  desert-like 
in  comparison.  Truly,  "  we  live  in  thoughts,  not  years  ;  in 
feelings,  not  in  figures  on  a  dial,"  and  "  should  count  time 
by  heart-throbs."  There  are  times  of  exalted  perception 
when  we  become  clairvoyant  and  read  souls,  not  pages  of 
print,  and  hear  thoughts,  not  the  mere  verbal  expression  of 
them ;  when  intent,  wish,  will,  spiritual  aspiration  take 
form  as  pictures  on  the  walls  of  the  mind's  gallery,  through 
which  another  mind  may  wander  unmolested  ;  when  the 
spirit  breathings  reach  the  spirit  ear  in  syllabified  form 
too  fine,  too  attenuated,  too  ethereal  to  affect  the  coarser 
sense,  but  to  the  inner  perception  floats  intelligence,  as 
by  whispers  of  paradise. 

"Promise  me  that  you  will  not  risk  your  life  recklessly 
among  those  savages.  I  speak  for  your  father's  sake."  And 
seeing  the  gratified  expression  on  his  face  fade  to  blank 
disappointment  at  the  conclusion  of  her  sentence,  she 
added,  "For  mine  too,  for  you  have  been  truly  a  friend  in 
need  to  me,  and  believe  me,  I  have  not  or  shall  not  forget 
it.  But  your  father  must  feel  this  separation  much,  and 
the  consciousness  that  you  were  in  daily  peril  would,  I  fear, 
wear  the  frail  string  on  which  his  life  hangs  until  it 
snapped." 

They  were  standing  at  the  gate  of  her  home,  where  they 
had  often  stood  before,  but  in  other  and  more  hopeful 
moods,  and  both  felt  the  bitter  contrast.  She  pleaded  al- 
most tearfully  with  him— this  wilful,  strong  man  going  far 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  517 

away,  under  an  uncontrollable  impulse,  and  in  that  temper 
of  mind  which  often  induces  noble  spirits  to  fling  them- 
selves into  the  very  jaws  of  death,  in  a  reckless  disregard 
of  a  life  which,  for  some  cause  or  another,  has  lost  present 
value  to  them.  She  felt  this,  and  all  her  pitying  woman- 
hood was  in  arms  to  try  and  save  him  for  home  and  friends. 

"  Why  should  I  be  careful  of  a  life  which  has  but  little 
value  for  me  or  any  human  being  ?  "  he  said,  hoarsely,  bit- 
terly. 

"  Every  life  is  valuable,  and  such  sentiments  are  not  like 
you,  and  do  not  represent  your  true  thought.  Whatever 
the  cause  which  induces  this  sudden  resolve  to  abandon 
home  and  friends,  of  course  I  do  not  know,  but  I  have  faith 
enough  in  you  to  believe  it  is  a  sufficient  one,  yet  I  know 
the  claims  upon  you  here  and  cannot  but  believe  that  be- 
fore long  you  will  feel  their  weight,  and  return  to  us.  Prom- 
ise me  what  I  ask  you  ?  "  and  she  laid  her  hand  upon  his 
arm. 

"  I  can  refuse  you  nothing,  and  yet  I  would  rather  not 
have  made  a  promise  which  in  such  a  region  may  seriously 
trammel  me.  I  do  promise  you  that  I  will  not  recklessly 
endanger  my  life.  But  now,  in  return  you  will  promise  me 
something  ?  "  and  he  regarded  her  questioningly. 

"I  will,"  she  said,  frankly,  " anything  in  reason." 

"  Promise  me  that  you  will  see  my  father  now  and  then. 
Ivan  will  take  my  place  and  be  a  son  to  him,  but  he  loves 
your  presence,  and  it  will  be  such  a  comfort  to  me  when  in 
that  far-off  wild  country  to  know  that  you  are  with  him  oc- 
casionally." 

He  still  looked  as  if  he  would  have  liked  to  ask  further, 
and  she  divined  his  thought  and,  as  he  paused  as  if  debat- 
ing with  himself,  said  promptly,  "  And  is  that  all  ?  Why, 
I  should  have  done  that  anyway.  I  not  only  promise  to  see 
your  father  every  week  if  possible,  but  if  you  like  will  write 
to  you  of  his  welfare  and  of  what  takes  place  about  here. 


518  THE   EUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

And  you  in  return  must  tell  me  something  about  your  new 
life." 

He  seized  her  hand  and  kissed  it  gratefully,  his  face 
glowing.  "  Oh,  if  you  will  do  this  I  shall  be  so  grateful.  I 
will  send  you  my  address  on  my  arrival.  I  fear  I  have  not 
time  to  see  your  father  ;  bid  him  good-by,  please,  for  me. 
May  heaven  bless  and  keep  you."  He  clasped  her  hand, 
again  touched  his  lips  to  it,  and  was  gone,  before  she  quite 
realized  the  fact  that  she  was  alone — only  a  dull  feeling 
that  the  day  seemed  less  bright  than  before. 


CHAPTER  XLTV. 
A    HALF    CONFESSION. 

MY  DEAR  ELSIE  :  I  have  been  very  ill.  I  suppose  the  shock  ex- 
perienced about  that  abominable  mine  business  had  something  to  do 
with  it.  My  head  was  seriously  affected  for  a  while,  I  am  afraid. 
The  doctor  said  I  had  incipient  cerebritis,  whatever  that  may  mean. 
I  wish  these  medical  men  would  have  common  sense  and  use  French 
instead  of  that  barbarous  Latin  in  describing  diseases.  What  a 
shocking  piece  of  business  that  mining  swindle  was,  and  what  a — 
but  he  is  your  cousin,  and  it  must  be  hard  enough  to  bear  the  dis- 
grace without  my  bringing  it  to  your  memory,  poor  girl.  And  he 
seemed  such  a  nice  young  man.  Who  is  it  says  something  somewhere 
about  "  deceiving  even  the  angels  of  light  ?  "  My  memory  has  been 
so  poor  since  my  attack.  My  poor  boy  is,  I  suppose  you  know,  with 
my  brother  in  Chicago,  and  is  going  to  learn  to  be  a  merchant.  Ed- 
ward, that  is  my  brother,  keeps  an  immense  clothing  establishment 
there  and  agreed  to  try  Koland.  His  father  and  he  had  what  Ruskin 
calls  a  square  talk,  and  he  insisted  that  the  poor  boy  should  either 
enter  business  or  study  a  profession  at  once,  and  so  Roland  wrote  to 
his  uncle  to  ask  for  a  position  in  his  store.  My  brother  has  old- 
fashioned  notions,  and  is,  I  fear,  a  little  hard  on  young  men,  and 
was  not  willing  at  first  to  agree  to  it,  but  finally  said  he  would  try 
him  on  condition  that  he  begin  at  the  very  bottom  of  the  ladder. 
Think  of  my  Roland  with  his  ability  having  to  begin  at  the  bottom 
of  the  ladder,  among  those  vulgar  shop-boys !  It  is  a  dreadful  trial 
for  a  mother,  you  must  know,  only  you  cannot  see  it  as  a  mother 
can.  I  do  not  know  for  certain,  but  I  am  afraid  that  Mr.  Lewis 
sometimes  asks  him  to  sweep  out  the  store.  I  am  not  sure  of  this  ; 
it  seems  too  dreadful !  If  I  thought  he  was  required  to  do  such 
menial  work  I  should  feel  it  my  duty  to  remonstrate,  only  I  know 
Ruskin  would  not  permit  me,  for  he  only  laughed  when  I  hinted 
my  suspicions,  and  said  that  the  young  man  must  win  his  spurs,  and 


520  THE  RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

he  may  as  well  begin  cleaning  and  polishing  those  that  belong  to 
other  people  first.  That  sounded  something  like  slang,  and  I  told 
him  so,  and  he  laughed  again.  Mr.  St.  Johns  came  of  a  good  family 
on  his  father's  side— the  Commodore,  of  Revolutionary  times,  you 
know_..but  his  mother's  people  wer«  (of  course,  my  dear,  this  be- 
tween ourselves)  only  plain,  respectable  farmers.  Excellent  people, 
but  of  necessity  not  very  refined.  These  things  are  to  be  regretted, 
for  do  what  you  will,  it  does  show  in  the  descendants.  I  always  say 
to  my  girls,  Never  make  a  mesalliance,  whatever  you  do.  I'm  not 
afraid  of  Angelina  ;  she  believes  in  family,  but  I  sometimes  do  have 
a  mother's  anxiety  for  Alfarina — she  is  so  democratic  in  her  tastes. 
It  is  the  Williams  blood,  I  am  afraid,  showing  itself. 

Is  it  true  that  all  is  at  an  end  between  you  and  Roland  ?  He  told 
me  so,  poor  fellow,  and  was  dreadfully  affected  by  it.  I  feared  he 
would  have  a  nervous  fever,  and  insisted  on  his  seeing  Dr.  Bellows. 
He  is  very  fond  of  you,  Elsie,  and  I  had  hoped  that  you  would 
learn  to  love  him.  Married  life  would  have  settled  him,  I  am  sure, 
and  cured  those  little  defects  of  character  which  I  suppose  annoyed 
you.  Forgive  an  old  friend,  but  are  you  not  just  a  little  old  maidish 
about  such  things,  my  dear  Elsie  ?  Young  men  must  sow  their 
wild  oats,  and  they  always  make  the  better  husbands  afterward. 
Oh,  well,  I  suppose  your  mind  is  made  up,  so  I  will  not  urge  the 
point.  But  let  me,  as  your  mother's  friend  as  well  as  your  own — and 
you  know  I  look  on  you  as  a  daughter — let  me  beg  of  you  not  to 
make  a  mesalliance.  I  have  heard  whisperings,  mind  you  I  do  not 
believe  them,  pointing  that  way,  about  a  certain  Russian  having  been 
seen  frequently  in  your  company.  Do  not,  my  dear,  I  entreat  you, 
allow  your  sense  of  gratitude  to  blind  your  judgment  in  these  mat- 
ters. Some  obligation  you  doubtless  are  under  to  those  people,  but 
I  should  think  that  a  substantial  pecuniary  recompense  might  be 
judiciously  employed  to  remove  that.  He  is  a  worthy  young  man, 
no  doubt,  but  entirely  inferior  to  you  in  every  way,  and  then,  too,  he 
is  much  older  than  you,  and  young  girls  are  apt  to  be  attracted  by 
the  superior  intelligence  and  knowledge  of  the  world  of  men  con- 
siderably older  than  themselves,  although  in  this  case  the  mental 
superiority  is  on  the  other  side.  Not  that  I  consider  the  fact  of  a 
man  being  older,  indeed  much  older  than  a  lady,  is  an  insuperable 
objection  to  marriage  ;  indeed,  in  very  many  cases  it  is  a  positive  ad- 
vantage, for  most  girls  make  better  wives  when  the  husband  has 
larger  experience  and  knowledge  of  life,  and  time  alone  can  bring 
this.  The  most  serious  bar  is  inferior  education  and  family.  But 


THE   RUSSIAN    REFUGEE.  521 

you  will  think  I  am  becoming  prosy,  and  so  I  will  close  this  long 
letter.     Now  write  me  at  length  and  tell  me  about  everything.     Kind- 
est regards  to  your  dear  father.     With  love  and  kisses  from  all, 
Sincerely  yours, 

LELIA  ST.  JOHNS. 


Elsie  had  generally  shown  such  letters  to  her  father,  as 
having  equal  interest  for  both,  but  somehow  she  shrunk 
from  letting  him  see  this  one.  However,  she  was  not 
forced  to  decide  this  matter  immediately  as  Mr.  Hastings 
was  away  from  home  and  would  not,  so  the  note  in  pencil 
on  the  library  table  informed  his  daughter,  return  until  din- 
ner at  six  o'clock.  She  re-read  the  letter  of  her  friend,  and 
decided  to  answer  it  at  once,  as  she  had  yet  an  hour  at  her 
disposal  before  dinner.  She  knew  well  the  epistle  was 
penned  with  a  definite  purpose,  and  that  was  hinted  in  the 
latter  half.  Some  natural  indignation  animated  her  as  she 
took  up  her  pen  and  wrote  the  reply. 


THE  HERMITAGE,  October  30,  18— 

MY  DEAR  FRIEXD  :  Long  letters  are  so  rare,  these  times,  that  you 
deserve  especial  thanks  for  yours,  which  reached  me  an  hour  since. 
Give  your  correspondent  credit  for  promptness  in  replying.  I  am 
delighted  to  know  of  Roland's  good  fortune,  for  although  I  may  be  a 
little  old-maidish  about  it,  I  cannot  help  feeling  that  the  worst  mis- 
fortune in  this  world  for  a  young  man  is  to  be  idle,  or,  at  any  rate,  to 
have  no  regular  business  to  engage  head  and  hands.  As  to  sweeping 
out  the  store,  that  won't  hurt  him  a  bit,  but  rather  help  to  give  him 
an  appetite  and  offset  more  intellectual  work.  About  sowing  wild 
oats.  Surely  you  are  not  in  earnest  in  thinking  that  such  a  thing  is 
necessary  for  a  man  any  more  than  for  a  woman.  Is  it  essential 
that  a  young  man  should  spend  a  portion  of  the  bright  opening  years 
of  his  manhood  in  dissipation  or  careless,  reckless  practices  ?  Surely 
experience  of  the  world  and  necessary  knowledge  sufficient  for  ordi- 
nary needs  can  be  acquired  without  such  expenditure  of  vital  power, 
such  peril  to  body  and  soul,  as  comes  from  selfish  dissipation — for 
that  is  what  I  have  been  taught  to  iinderstand  is  conveyed  ill  the  ex- 


522  THE   RUSSIAN    REFUGEE. 

pression,  "sowing  wild  oats."  Surely  it  does  not  stand  to  reason  to 
believe  that,  after  a  man  has  led  a  life  of  unrestrained  self-indulgence 
for  a  time,  he  is  likely  to  make  a  better,  much  less  as  good  a 
husband  as  if  he  had  led  a  self-denying,  correct  life.  Such  a  theory 
is  monstrous  to  me,  and  subverts  all  the  moral  teaching  I  have  ever 
listened  to,  and,  moreover,  is  so  opposed  to  my  own  natural  instincts 
that  I  cannot  believe  it,  nor  think  that  you  do  either.  The  man  I 
marry  must  have  led  as  pure  a  life  as  myself,  so  far  as  I  can  tell,  and 
I  would  rather  remain  an  old  maid  to  the  end  of  my  career  than 
marry  a  man,  no  matter  what  his  education  and  family  standing, 
who,  ignoring  conscience  and  duty,  yielded  to  his  appetites  and 
dragged  his  life  through  the  slums  of  sensual  indulgence.  I  loathe 
and  abhor  these  dissipated,  selfish  wretches  more  than  I  can  express, 
feeling  sure  that  they  make  brutal  domestic  tyrants  after  marriage, 
whatever  the  world  may  say  to  the  contrary.  I  write  with  warmth 
on  this  subject,  for,  as  you  may  remember,  a  dear  friend  of  mine 
was  sacrificed  to  one  of  these  specimens  of  humanity  who  had  spent 
his  time  before  his  marriage  in  sowing  his  wild  oats.  The  only  "  mes- 
alliance," to  use  your  term,  that  I  recognize,  is  the  union  of  a  pure- 
minded  girl  with  one  of  these  blase  men  of  society  who  has  offered 
up  the  best  powers  and  possibilities  of  his  manhood  on  the  altar  of 
self -gratification,  and  has  nothing  left  but  the  ashes  of  an  ill-spent 
career  to  give  in  exchange  for  what  she  has  sacrificed  to  or  for  him. 
Roland  has  escaped,  I  trust,  all  danger  of  becoming  such  an  one  as 
I  have  been  alluding  to,  but  like  all  young  men  of  large  social  in- 
stincts and  plenty  of  leisure,  he  has  been  placed  in  great  peril.  As 
to  any  fancied  attachment  he  may  have  had  for  me,  I  am  sure  his 
good  sense  has  shown  him  how  totally  unsuited  we  are  to  each  other, 
and  he  will  have  little  trouble  in  forgetting  me,  other  than  as  a  friend 
who  always  will  be  interested  to  know  of  his  welfare.  Believe  me,  I 
am  forever  grateful  for  the  kindness  of  heart  which  prompts  you  to 
advise  me,  even  though  I  may  not  always  see  my  way  to  following 
out  the  suggestions.  Being  left  motherless  at  so  early  an  age,  and 
so  thrown  much  on  my  own  resources,  I  have  developed  a  self-re- 
liance which  does,  I  fear,  frequently  shock  that  estimable  old  lady, 
Madam  Grundy.  However,  so  long  as  I  have  the  privilege  of  my 
father's  counsel  and  of  yours,  too,  my  dear  friend,  I  hope  I  shall  never 
wander  so  far  from  the  highway  but  what  I  can  easily  return  to  it. 
Let  me  say,  in  conclusion,  in  reference  to  one  item  in  your  letter, 
that  there  are  some  obligations  which  money  can  never  repay,  and 
that  there  are  some  people  to  whom  the  tender  of  pecuniary  recom- 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  523 

pense  for  kindness  conferred  would  be  a  gross  insult.     With  love  to 
Mr.  St  Johns  and  the  girls,  I  am,  my  dear  madam, 
Your  sincere  friend, 

ELSIE  HASTINGS. 

P.  S. — Tell  Alf  she  owes  me  a  letter,  and  she  knows  it,  too,  and  I 
have  a  rod  in  pickle  for  her,  to  be  used  unsparingly  if  said  letter 
does  not  come  soon.  E.  H. 

Just  as  the  letter  was  finished  Mr.  Hastings  entered  the 
library,  bringing  a  long  letter  from  Louisa  Thompson  to 
Elsie,  which  had  been  enclosed  to  Mrs.  Seaman,  and  handed 
by  the  doctor  to  his  uncle  whom  he  had  met  on  the  road. 
There  being  scant  time  to  prepare  for  dinner,  the  young 
lady  postponed  reading  the  English  epistle  until  the  even- 
ing, expecting  a  treat  in  its  perusal. 

"  You  are  looking  somewhat  pale  and  careworn,  my 
child  ;  has  anything  unusual  occurred  to  vex  you?"  asked 
Mr.  Hastings  when  they  met  at  dinner. 

How  difficult  always  to  tell  the  truth,  the  whole  truth, 
and  nothing  but  the  truth,  and  Elsie  felt  this  at  the  mo- 
ment, but  she  smothered  the  emotion  roused  by  her  fa- 
ther's words,  and  answered  bravely  :  "  Yes,  papa,  I  have 
been  somewhat  troubled  to-day,  for  one  of  our  friends,  to 
whom  we  are  much  indebted,  has  left  us  for  an  indefinite 
time  to  engage  in  what,  I  fear,  is  a  very  perilous  enter- 
prise." 

Her  parent  regarded  her  fixedly  for  a  while  after  she 
ceased  speaking,  not  unkindly,  that  was  impossible — but  as 
if  asking  the  inner  meaning  behind  her  words,  and  then 
answered  quietly  :  "You  refer  to  the  younger  Russian. 
Your  cousin  Warren  told  me  of  this  a  couple  of  hours  since. 
He  said  that  Mr.  Adolph  was,  to  use  his  own  expression, 
'fretting  his  heart  out  here '  about  something,  and  that  in 
his  opinion  he  had  acted  very  wisely.  I  entirely  coincide 
with  Warren  in  this,  for  Adolph's  position  here  was  too  in- 
definite and  anomalous,  active  though  he  was  m  the  limited 


524  THE   KUSSIAN   KEFUGEE. 

circle  he  moved  in,  to  satisfy  any  man  of  worthy  aspiration. 
He  asked  my  advice  about  this  offer,  some  days  since,  and 
on  due  reflection  I  urged  him  to  accept  it.  His  doing  so 
has  elevated  him  in  my  estimation  considerably,  although," 
noticing  her  surprised  look,  "I  have  always  thought  well 
of  him.  But  to  think  of  a  strong,  capable  man  like  him 
passing  his  life  in  hunting  and  trapping !  He  is  fit  for  some 
larger  work,  and  I  told  him  so." 

"But  his  father,  at  his  great  age,  and  so  devoted  as  they 
are  to  each  other — and  then  the  wild  country  he  has  gone 
to,  living  among  those  savages.  It  does  seem  to  my  mind 
an  exceedingly  wild  undertaking,"  expostulated  the  daugh- 
ter in  a  voice  suggesting  that  the  excitement  of  the  after- 
noon's experience  had  not  yet  quite  subsided. 

"  Well,  my  dear,  let  us  not  discuss  this  matter-now,  or  it 
may  spoil  your  dinner.  We  will  resume  the  topic  when 
we  retire  to  the  library.  Tell  me  about  Mrs.  St.  Johns' 
letter.  I  understood  you  to  say  you  had  received  one  from 
her?"  Elsie  told  the  leading  points  of  the  fashionable 
lady's  epistle,  and  of  her  answer.  This  filled  the  dinner- 
hour  conversation,  and  as,  indeed,  neither  was  very  hun- 
gry, the  time  spent  at  table  was  shorter  than  usual,  and 
they  soon  found  themselves  in  the  library.  "Elsie,"  said 
the  gentleman,  after  a  short  silence,  in  which  each  seemed 
to  be  buried  in  individual  reflections  :  "  I  do  not  wish  to  ask 
an  unwilling  confidence,  but  you  well  know,  my  child,  that 
your  happiness  is  my  dearest  concera.  Now  something  to- 
day has  occurred  to  seriously  disturb  you,  for  the  tears  were 
not  yet  dried  on  your  cheeks  when  I  entered  the  house. 
Do  you  really  feel  the  departure  of  this  young  Russian  so 
much  ?  Act  frankly  with  me,  my  daughter,  for  I  ask  the 
question  solely  in  your  interest,  but  yet  do  not  press  you 
for  an  answer,  unless  you  so  desire." 

The  tall,  almost  queenly  form  of  the  daughter  shook  as 
if  with  suppressed  emotion,  the  lustrous  dark  eyes  grew 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  525 

dim  with  tears,  and  the  delicate  brown  of  the  cheek  took 
on  a  deeper  hue,  before  the  answer  came.  'Twas  but  an 
instant,  however,  that  she  thus  yielded  to  what  her  natu- 
rally strong  nature  told  her  was  a  weakness,  and  then  she 
rose  and  faced  her  parent.  "  I  do  feel  it,  father,  very  much, 
for  he  has  entered  largely  into  my  life  of  late,  and  it  is  but 
natural  that  I  should  feel  such  a  sudden  departure.  You 
have  always  taught  me  that  the  natural  emotions  and 
higher  sentiments  are  nothing  to  be  ashamed  of — on  tile 
contrary,  are  the  best  and  noblest  part  of  us,  and  so  I  do 
not  hesitate  to  say  that  my  intercourse  with  these  friends 
has  done  much  to  shape  and  color  my  life  during  the  past 
few  months." 

She  resumed  her  seat,  and  again  there  was  a  silence  for  a 
brief  period.  Finally  Mr.  Hastings  looked  toward  hia 
daughter,  and  she  detected,  with  the  quick  eye  of  affection, 
the  somewhat  troubled  expression  of  his  face  as  he  asked  : 
"  Did  Adolph  say  anything  special  to  you,  I  mean  in  the 
way  of  expressing  his  feelings  toward  you,  or  seek  to  bind 
you  by  any  promise  before  leaving  ?  " 

"  Nothing  of  the  kind  passed  between  us,  and  so  far  as 
that  is  concerned,  I  mean  any  formal  or  overt  act  on  his 
part,  we  occupy  the  position  we  always  have — friends  only." 

"  Thank  you,  my  dear,  you  have  relieved  me  very  much. 
I  feared  matters  had  gone  further  than  that.  It  was  very 
honorable  of  him,  very  honorable  indeed ! "  and  his  old 
cheerful  manner  came  back,  and  he  showed  by  tone  and 
expression  how  relieved  he  felt.  So  the  subject  dropped 
between  father  and  daughter,  each  breathing  more  freely 
that  here  at  least  was  no  longer  any  secret  between  them, 
and  they  tacitly  agreed  not  to  refer  to  it  again  unless  ab- 
solutely necessary.  But  Elsie  felt  that,  much  as  she  knew 
her  wise  parent  liked  and  esteemed  the  friend  in  question, 
yet  for  some  inexplicable  reason  he  did  not  desire  to  come 
into  any  closer  relationship  with  him,  and  long  and  ear- 


526  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

nestly  she  questioned,  in  the  silence  of  her  own  bosom, 
why,  but  no  answer  came. 

The  letter  from  Louisa  was  as  bright  and  lively  as  the 
merry  English  girl  herself.  She  wrote  of  "  father,"  and  his 
doings  in  the  City  and  his  trips  to  the  Continent  on  busi- 
ness, and  of  "  mother  "  and  home,  and  of  the  brother  and 
his  graduation  at  Cambridge,  not  forgetting  old  Selah 
Betty  at  the  cottage.  Then  she  came  to  the  pith  of  her 
letter,  which  concerned  the  trial  of  Harry  Esmond  at  the 
Old  Bailey  in  London.  "  We  were  dreadfully  concerned 
on  your  account,  and  I  only  speak  of  it  now  because  it  will 
of  course  reach  you  through  the  newspapers.  Father  was 
there  one  day,  and  said  the  prisoner  was  the  most  careless 
and  indifferent-looking  man  in  the  room.  He  was  ably 
defended,  but  the  evidence  was  too  conclusive.  The  judge, 
in  passing  sentence,  said  that  it  was  not  safe  for  society  to 
have  such  a  very  clever  criminal  at  large,  and  that  the  ability 
the  prisoner  had  displayed  in  doing  wrong  would,  if  it  had 
been  rightly  du-ected,  have  given  him  position  and  influ- 
ence as  a  valuable  member  of  society.  He  was  condemned 
to  fifteen  years'  penal  servitude.  I  hope  you  do  not  mind 
this  too  much,  Elsie,  as  you  or  your  family  are  in  no  way 
accountable.  As  father  says,  '  Any  tree  may  have  a  rotten 
branch.'  But  still,  it  is  a  great  pity  ;  such  a  handsome, 
lively  fellow."  The  rest  of  the  letter  was  gossipy,  giving 
hints  of  flirtations  and  sundry  experiences  which  indicated 
that  in  one  way  or  another  Louisa  Thompson  was  trying  to 
enjoy  life  in  her  day  and  generation.  She  vaguely  alluded 
to  a  certain  naval  officer  who  was  often  at  the  Yews,  who, 
Elsie  inferred  from  the  tone  and  rather  frequent  reference 
to  him  in  the  concluding  sentences,  was  specially  attracted 
by  the  vivacious  daughter,  although,  as  the  writer  tried  to 
imply,  "  he  only  came  to  see  papa." 


CHAPTEK  XLV. 

HOPE   DEFERRED. 

WINTER,  after  many  threatening  messages  and  bravado, 
had  at  last  declared  war  and  fairly  invaded  the  northern 
regions.  After  some  preliminary  skirmishes  between  op- 
posing forces  in  the  upper  air,  the  elemental  strife  had 
finally  culminated  in  a  grand  battle — a  general  engagement, 
one  might  say — and  the  grim  old  tyrant  having  conquered 
as  usual,  the  white  banner,  everywhere  hung  out,  showed  a 
cessation  of  hostilities,  and  for  a  time  peace  reigned  su- 
preme. Yes,  that  exquisite  repose  and  quiet  which  suc- 
ceeds a  terrific  storm,  that  delicious  sense  of  absolute  rest 
which  comes  to  the  senses,  that  marked  absence  of  noise, 
especially,  which  a  big  snow-storm  that  has  been  promising 
long  and  finally  come,  covering  the  whole  face  of  things, 
induces,  was  peculiarly  perceptible  on  this  Christmas 
morning,  when  the  young  mistress  of  the  Hermitage  opened 
the  hall-door  and  peered  out  into  the  thin  gray  air.  Snow, 
snow  everywhere.  It  seemed  as  if  some  mischievous  Ariel 
or  Puck  had  been  abroad  creating  a  transformation  scene, 
a  regular  phantasmagoria  for  the  eyes  of  early  risers.  An 
invading  army — an  army  of  occupation,  indeed— it  appeared 
to  the  young  lady  who  stood  drinking  in  the  soft,  cold  air, 
and  the  fascinating  scene  too,  with  keen  enjoyment.  Every 
bush  looked  like  a  bivouac,  every  tree  a  fortification,  and 
the  hedges  like  long,  low  lines  of  defensive  ramparts  ;  for 
the  Hermitage  could  boast  of  some  grand  old  hedges,  that 
might  have  vied  with  those  of  merrie  England — representa- 


528  THE   RUSSIAN    REFUGEE. 

tives  of  the  taste  and  skill  of  the  founder  of  the  estate,  the 
ancient  Russian.  Presently  Elsie  perceived  a  horseman 
working  his  way  slowly  through  the  heavy  snow — which 
was  up  to  the  body  of  the  steed,  so  deeply  had  it  drifted 
into  the  avenue — toward  the  house.  He  was  quite  close 
before  she  noticed  him,  for  nature  had  with  talismanic 
skill  almost  annihilated  sound,  and  the  labored  breathing 
of  the  animal,  and  the  clink  of  the  steel  rings  on  the  bit, 
first  gave  warning  to  her  ear. 

"Ivan  Petrovitch ! "  she  exclaimed,  in  astonishment, 
"  what  a  morning  to  be  out  so  early  ! " 

The  Eussian  answered  with  a  smile  :  "  Yes,  miss,  a  very 
bad  morning  ;  "  and  then,  as  if  doubtful  as  to  the  use  of 
the  adjective,  added,  "I  mean  a  very  naughty  morning." 

The  use  of  the  second  adjective  appealed  strongly  to 
Elsie's  risibilities,  but  restraining  her  inclination  to  laugh, 
she  answered  cheerily,  "But  this  is  nothing  to  you,  Ivan, 
after  Siberia  ?  " 

His  brow  darkened  at  the  word.  "  No,  no,  Siberia  is  what 
you  say,  horrid  ;  this  is  good.  My  horse  feels  it  hard,  he  is 
a — tired."  And  he  patted  the  neck  of  the  panting  creature, 
from  whose  heaving  sides  and  dilating  nostrils  a  cloud  of 
vapor  showed  in  the  frosty  December  air.  He  handed  her 
a  letter,  having  dismounted  for  the  purpose.  "From 
Adolph  Kuprianoff,"  he  said,  softly.  "  The  Chief  would  like 
to  see  you  soon.  He  feels  very  bad  for  Adolph  being  gone. 
Will  you  tell  Hiram  when  you  come  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  will.  But  won't  you  have  your  horse  put  in  the 
stable,  and  come  in  and  have  breakfast  with  us?  and  then  I 
will  write  a  note  to  the  Patriarch— I  mean  the  Chief." 

"  Thank  you,  but  no,  I  wiU  wait  here  ;  I  have  had  break- 
fast." 

As  she  could  not  persuade  him  to  alter  his  resolution, 
Elsie  entered  the  house  and,  sitting  by  the  open  fire  in  the 
hall,  she  read  the  letter  hastily,  and  then  penned  a  note  to 


THE   EUSSIAN  EEFUGEE.  529 

the  father  of  the  writer,  for  the  letter  was  from  the  absent 
Adolph,  and  gave  it  with  her  own  hand  to  Ivan,  who  stood 
awaiting  it  outside  with  true  Muscovite  patience.  "Thank 
you  so  much,  Ivan,  for  coming  this  morning  through  all 
this. snow.  How  is  Nadia  and  my  little  Sophia  too  ?  Stay, 
you  must  take  her  something  for  me."  And  she  ran  back 
through  the  hall  and  into  the  library,  and  at  once  returned 
with  a  magazine  full  of  gaily  colored  pictures,  which  she 
judged  would  give  great  delight  to  the  little  Cave  girl. 
Ivan  was  profuse  in  his  thanks,  some  of  them  being  ex- 
pressed in  his  native  tongue  and  by  gesture,  however,  as 
his  vocabulary  of  English  was  limited ;  but  what  he  did 
speak  was  well  pronounced  and  the  words  fairly  well 
chosen,  the  Russians  in  this  respect  being  much  superior 
to  most  other  Europeans  in  learning  the  language  of  the 
great  Republic. 

The  letter  which  Elsie  now  re-read,  with  more  delibera- 
tion, was  as  follows  : 

BEAR  CAMP,  December  1,  18—. 

MY  DEAR  Miss  HASTINGS:  If  you  knew  the  emotions  flooding  my 
entire  being  at  the  sight  of  your  name,  although  traced  by  myself, 
the  thousand  memories  of  father,  home,  and  friends,  and  of  delight- 
ful hours  spent — winged  hours,  which  fly  to  and  fro  in  the  azure 
heavens  of  memory — you  would,  I  know,  in  your  kindness  of  heart, 
pity  iny  loneliness.  For  I  am  one  of  a  little  handful  of  humanity 
in  the  midst  of  a  wilderness.  Nature,  imposing,  grand,  terrific  on 
every  side,  but,  brooding  in  solemn  majesty  over  all — the  Spirit  of 
silence  and  desolation.  Only  five  of  us  in  a  world  of  marvels.  Broad 
plateaus,  seven  to  eight  thousand  feet  above  the  sea-level.  Moun- 
tain chains  of  vast  elevation,  with  here  and  there  isolated  peaks  touch- 
ing the  very  clouds,  stupendous  and  awe-inspiring  in  their  wondrous 
altitude  and  eternal  stillness.  For  some  of  these  vast  upheavings  of 
nature's  wild  volcanic  ire,  as  they  probably  are,  are  actually,  by  our 
measurement,  as  high  as  the  far-famed  pride  of  the  European  Alps, 
Mont  Blanc  itself  No  feeling  but  that  of  religious  emotion,  adora- 
tion of  the  Supreme-worship,  seems  fitting  in  presence  of  these 
illimitable  altars  of  God.  For  who,  standing  in  this  cathedral,  its 
34 


530  THE   EUSSTAN   KEFUGEE. 

dome  the  sky,  carved  with,  the  tracery  of  the  clouds,  and  with  these 
shrines  of  immensity  before  him,  the  great  plateaus  near,  like  vast 
communion  tables  spread— can  forbear  to  worship  ?  Then,  too,  the 
canons — what  tongue  or  pen  can  adequately  describe  these  seemingly 
fathomless  abysses  cut  through  the  everlasting  hills  ?  For  the 
mighty  Colorado,  and  other  streams  flowing  southward,  have,  during 
the  countless  ages  of  the  past,  channelled  out  and  worn  euormous 
gullies  or  canons,  as  our  Spanish  friends  here  call  them,  to  a  depth 
in  some  places  of  many  thousands  of  feet.  The  Grand  Canon  of  the 
Colorado  is  truly  appalling  in  its  utter  dreariness,  extraordinary  va- 
riety of  phenomena,  and  unspeakable  magnitude.  Think  of  a  fur- 
row, cut  by  the  ploughshare  of  Time,  four  hundred  miles  long  and 
walled  on  each  side  perpendicularly  by  gigantic  masses,  uprising  for 
the  most  part  fifteen  hundred  to  six  thousand  feet  into  the  ether ! 
The  mind  fairly  shudders  in  such  contemplation,  and  one  feels  to  be 
a  particle,  a  speck,  a  mite  cast  athwart  immensity.  But  I  must  pause 
and  apologize  for  thus  plunging  into  a  wild  description  of  a  country 
you  have  never  seen,  and  can  feel  but  little  interest  in,  instead  of 
asking  about  your  welfare,  and  that  of  your  kind  father  and  other 
mutual  friends.  I  can  only  plead,  in  extenuation  of  such  a  freak, 
that  I  have  just  returned  from  exploring  this  wonderful  canon,  and 
so  completely  saturated  with  the  amazing  sights  and  experiences  I 
have  had,  that  I  cannot  talk  or  think  of  anything  else.  It  seems  to 
me  I  must  experience  the  sensation  of  one  who  has  been  privileged 
to  look  into  an  inspired  volume,  and  has  found  therein  a  revelation 
which  has  opened  another  gate  to  heaven,  and  widened  beyond  ex- 
pression the  horizon  of  his  being.  The  geologic  treasures  which  are 
exhibited  to  the  inquiring  eye  are  almost  endless,  this  unrivalled  canon 
showing  most  of  the  formations,  from  the  underlying  granite  to  the 
upper  carboniferous  limestone — a  very  museum  of  antiquity,  a  veri- 
table treasure-house  of  wisdom.  But  there  I  am  off  on  my  hobby 
again,  and  shall  weary  you  to  death. 

How  are  you,  my  dear  friend,  and  all  the  loved  ones  at  home  ? 
Have  you  seen  my  father  lately,  and  is  the  dear  old  man  holding  his 
own  physically  ?— I  have  no  fears  of  him  mentally.  I  fear  you  have 
heard  no  word  from  me  since  I  left,  but  I  wrote  immediately  to  you 
and  my  father  on  my  arrival  in  New  Mexico,  as  this  entire  region  is 
called,  but  fear  that  our  scout  who  carried  the  letters,  bearing  at  the 
same  time  some  government  despatches  from  the  fort,  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  Indians,  as  nothing  has  been  heard  of  him  since,  and 
no  opportunity  has  occurred  to  send  a  second  letter  until  to-day.  So 


THE  RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  531 

you  see  I  kept  my  promise,  although  appearances  were  much  against 
me.  For  myself,  I  have  beeu  so  crowded  with  work  of  one  kind  and 
another  that,  apart  from  the  wild  desire  to  know  how  you  all  are 
which  occasionally  takes  possession  of  me  and  renders  me  almost 
desperate,  I  have  hardly  had  time  to  seriously  think  of  anything 
outside.  I  think  it  will  be  my  salvation,  for  I  could  not  have  much 
longer  endured  the  mental  strife  which  was  raging  within  me  when 
I  left  home.  To  leave  was  truly  like  wrenching  soul  and  body  asun- 
der— but  although  a  sharp,  it  was,  I  am  satisfied,  the  true,  and  in- 
deed only,  remedy.  The  Indians  are  our  perpetual  peril,  and  many 
a  narrow  escape  I  have  had  in  saving  my  scalp.  I  think  I  can  say 
that  I  owe  you  my  life;  for,  in  the  condition  of  mind  resulting  from 
brooding  over  my  aimless  life  and  trammelled  condition  in  which  I 
came  here,  coupled  with  my  natural  indifference  to  danger,  I  am 
satisfied  that  long  ere  this  my  scalp  would  be  adorning  the  wigwam 
of  some  brave,  had  not  the  promise  you  exacted  been  ever  in  my 
memory  as  a  restraining  influence. 

We  are  located  about  one  hundred  miles  north  of  the  Gila  River, 
and  about  fifty  miles  east  of  the  Colorado.  The  latter  is  a  fine 
stream,  and  navigable  for  nearly  six  hundred  miles — from  its  mouth, 
where  it  enters  the  Gulf  of  California,  to  the  beginning  of  the  Great 
Canon,  spoken  of  before.  It  is  called  Colorado  from  the  reddish 
tinge  of  its  waters.  It  is  famous  for  its  canons,  and  its  sudden  and 
startling  changes  of  form  and  nature.  When  I  tell  you  that  this 
stream,  which  at  one  time  will  be  seen  flowing  calmly  with  a  width 
of  three  hundred  or  more  yards,  will  suddenly  compress  itself  be- 
tween granite  walls  to  a  width  of  twenty  yards,  you  can  have  some 
idea  of  the  perils  of  navigation.  This  is  a  delightful  climate  during 
the  winter  months,  and  quite  a  contrast  to  what,  no  doubt,  is  your  ex- 
perience now.  But  I  must  close  this  long,  rambling  epistle,  asking, 
my  dear  friend,  that  you  will  lend  your  gentle  presence  and  kind  in- 
fluences to  comfort  and  cheer  my  aged  parent,  that  he  may  not  too 
much  miss  the  dutiful  attention  of  which  lie  is  deprived  by  the  way- 
wardness of  his  son.  Kindest  regards  to  your  father — I  much  regret 
I  did  not  see  him  on  leaving.  For  you,  to  whom  I  owe  so  much,  I 
can  only  say  that  my  life  and  service  are  yours — a  consecration  to  past 
memories — and  so,  as  Nadia  would  say  in  our  Russian  fashion,  Slava 
Bogu. 

Yours  sincerely  and  gratefully, 

ADOLPH  KUPRIANOFF. 


532  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

The  winter  had  come  to  stay,  and  the  snow  packed  and 
hardened  until  in  a  day  or  so  a  splendid  sleighing  founda- 
tion was  laid,  and  the  light  vehicles,  with  their  jingling 
bells,  were  flying  in  every  direction.  To  Elsie's  delight, 
her  father  on  the  third  day  after  Ivan's  visit  told  her  to 
wrap  up  well  and  he  would  take  her  to  the  Cave,  calling 
for  Hiram,  whom  he  had  notified  previously,  on  the  way. 
In  a  few  moments  they  were  speeding  merrily  over  the 
frozen  ground.  Mr.  Hastings  had  noted,  with  the  keen 
eyes  of  affection,  that  Elsie  was  looking  rather  pale  of  late, 
and  a  gravity  which  was  foreign  to  her  was  observable  in 
her  demeanor.  Till  a  Seaman,  who  was  frequently  with  her, 
had  perceived  this  too,  and,  with  a  woman's  quick  percep- 
tion, had  partly  divined  the  cause,  and  tried  to  win  her  con- 
fidence in  the  line  of  her  suspicion.  But  it  was  a  signal 
failure.  Although  the  frankest  of  mortals  with  reference 
to  everything  else,  Elsie  could  not  be  coaxed  or  persuaded 
to  lift  the  veil  from  the  hidden  grief  which  her  friend  was 
satisfied  existed.  If  her  father  really  suspected  the  source 
of  the  loss  of  physical  tone  and  somewhat  sobered  mien  of 
his  child  he  gave  no  sign  by  word  or  deed  to  her  or  to 
others.  He  had  frequently  in  conversation  with  his  friend 
St.  Johns  expressed  his  opinion  that  there  were  certain 
phases  of  experience  which  all  young  people  have  to  go 
through  before  they  come  to  know  themselves  and  settle 
down  to  their  life-work,  and  obtain  a  firm  grasp  of  reality. 
"  Inevitable,  I  think,  to  young  men  and  women,  as  having 
measles  is  to  boys  and  girls.  Of  course,  some  do  not  have 
the  measles,  or  have  them  after  maturity,  and  so  it  is  with 
these  peculiar  emotional  experiences — some  escape,  but  they 
are  few."  Elsie  had  escaped  the  childhood  affection,  but 
it  may  be  he  thought  she  was  not  going  to  be  so  fortunate 
with  reference  to  the  late)'  possibility. 

As  the  horse  was  checked  at  the  cottage  door  the  trap- 
per came  out,  followed  by  his  spouse,  the  faithful  Gretchen, 


THE  RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  533 

who  smiled  all  over,  in  a  sense,  so  beaming  and  friendly  did 
she  appear.  "  Oh,  Mees  Elsie,  you  have  von  letter  from 
Meester  Adolph.  I  so  glad — I  know  he  vould  write.  He 
von  fine  shentlemen,  he  is." 

Elsie  smiled  and  nodded  with  a  somewhat  brighter 
color  than  even  the  brisk  drive  had  brought  to  her  cheeks, 
for  she  was  conscious  her  father  was  looking  at  her,  and 
this  consciousness  had  an  effect  which  the  words  might 
not  have  had. .  She  had  not  shown  him  the  letter,  although 
she  had  told  him  of  it,  and  given  Adolph's  message,  and 
now  she  half  feared  that  he  might  suspect  that  the  letter 
contained  that  which  she  did  not  care  for  him  to  see,  and 
this  annoyed  her  so  much  that  she  immediately  said  :  "I 
must  show  you  that  letter,  father — I  know  you  will  be  in- 
terested in  the  description  Mr.  Adolph  gives  of  the  Colo- 
rado canons." 

"Just  as  you  please,  my  dear.  But  you  can  read  me  any 
part  you  like." 

"No,  you  shall  read  it  all  for  yourself,"  she  said,  with  an 
impetuosity  ffrhich  she  felt  a  moment  later  was  utterly  out 
of  proportion  to  the  importance  of  the  matter  of  reading 
a  simple  letter.  But  she  was  vexed  that  possibly  her  father 
thought  she  had  rather  not  show  it. 

The  "  Giraffe'' was  unusually  quiet  as  they  drove  along, 
but  finally  burst  out  with,  "  Durned  ef  I  believe  th'  old  one's 
long  fur  this  world." 

His  companions  looked  at  him  with  astonishment. 

"  Why,  Hiram,  what  do  you  mean  ?  "  said  Elsie,  in  alarm. 
"  Surely  it  is  not  the  Patriarch  you  are  speaking  of  ?  " 

"Yaas,  Mees  Elsie,"  responded  the  trapper,  and  he 
looked  consciously  guilty,  as  if  he  had  spoken  unwisely. 
"  But  I  allus  was  a  fool  to  speak  out  sudden-like.  Maybe 
'tain't  so  mortal  bad  as  I'd  a  thought,  but  sartin  the  old 
man's  a-failing.  Kinder  hankers  arter  his  boy,  I  guess." 

"It  may  only  be  a  little  temporary  ill-health,  which  at  his 


534  THE   RUSSIAN    REFUGEE. 

great  age  appears  of  more  importance  than  it  would  in  a 
younger  person,"  said  Mr.  Hastings  to  his  daughter,  who 
looked  quite  shocked. 

"  Thet's  it,  friend  Alf.  It's  sorter  sure  he  can't  nowise  live 
forever,  an  he's  most  thet  now." 

The  sleigh  was  left  hitched  at  a  short  distance  from  the 
cave  entrance,  and  the  party  proceeded  on  foot.  There  was 
a  sort  of  natural  porch  formed  by  the  outcropping  of  the 
rock  above  and  laterally  from  the  main  mass  of  the  rise  of 
the  hill  in  front  of  which  they  halted.  Into  this  porch  or 
room  they  entered,  seeing  nothing  but  the  dark-gray  tint  of 
the  rough  stone  forming  three  sides  and  the  roof  of  the 
rude  chamber,  if  such  it  could  be  termed,  in  which  they 
stood.  It  resembled  one  of  those  Caches  or  natural  shel- 
ters resorted  to  so  much  by  hunters  and  others  accustomed 
to  roam  in  such  regions  in  pursuit  of  game  or  other  moun- 
tain products.  At  the  rear  of  the  apartment  the  solid  mass 
of  the  mountain  side  loomed,  seemingly  impenetrable. 
However,  a  closer  inspection  showed  that  this  rear  wall  was 
fissured  by  deep  crevices  dividing  the  surface  irregularly 
into  several  superficial  sections.  The  central  one  was  about 
five  feet  high  and  on  an  average  three  feet  broad,  being 
much  wider  above  than  below.  The  "  Giraffe,"  after  in- 
specting this  for  an  instant,  pressed  oil  the  left  upper 
corner  with  considerable  force,  and  to  their  surprise  the 
visitors  saw  the  great  section  of  rock  slowly  revolve,  leaving 
an  opening  into  the  hill  side,  showing  a  dark  passage 
beyond. 

"Ivau'll  be  long  with  them  air  pitch  pines  sooner'n  yer 
kin  wink.  Guess  he's  to  hum  an'  heerd  us,"  said  the  trap- 
per, as  they  paused  in  front  of  the  passage,  explaining  at  the 
same  time  how  that  the  pressure  on  the  stone  in  a  certain 
way  sounded  a  bell  in  the  cave,  notifying  the  inmates,  who, 
if  satisfied  as  to  the  visitor,  caused  the  rock-door  to  revolve 
by  means  of  a  curious  bit  of  machinery,  invented  by  the 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  535 

old  Russian.  In  short,  this  cave  dweDing  was  an  under- 
ground fortress,  which  the  expenditure  of  considerable 
money  and  ingenuity  had  rendered  almost  absolutely  secure 
from  intrusion,  and  as  a  habitation  quite  comfortable. 
Nature  had,  of  course,  done  the  most  arduous  and  important 
work  in  tunnelling  out  these  subterranean  rooms  and  pas- 
sages, and  art  had  supplemented  her  work  in  transforming 
a  rude,  although  in  a  sense  curious  and  beautiful,  cave  into 
a  comfortable  residence.  Soon  they  saw  lights  gleaming  in 
the  distant  darkness,  and  presently  Ivan  appeared  with  his 
swarthy  face  glowing  in  the  torch-light,  and  his  "Slava 
Bogu,"  in  welcome  salutation.  "  Guess  Ivan  11  see  yer 
through,  an'  I'll  tend  th'  animal.  Say,  friend  Alf,  what 
time'll  thee  be  suited  to  go  hum  ?  " 

Mr.  Hastings  looked  toward  his  daughter,  who  said, 
"Two  hours,  father,  I  think,  will  give  us  ample  time." 

Stepping  into  the  passage  way  the  huge  stone  noiselessly 
revolved  and  they,  shut  up  in  the  mountain,  each  with  a 
candle  in  hand,  cautiously  followed  the  flaring  torch  of  their 
guide.  In  a  few  moments  they  were  in  the  familiar  room  and 
surrounded  by  the  members  of  this  strange,  isolated,  but 
most  interesting  little  family,  living  on  year  after  year  shut 
up  in  the  recesses  of  the  earth,  and  so  utterly  segregated 
from  the  outside  world.  The  Patriarch  was  changed,  that 
Elsie  saw  at  once,  and  the  tears  started  to  her  eyes  as  she 
thought  of  Hiram's  blunt  words.  He  rose  as  she  entered, 
but  did  not  advance  as  formerly  to  meet  her.  Yet  there  was 
the  same  bright,  beaming  look  of  peace  and  benevolence  upon 
the  aged  face,  and  the  same  kind,  genial  voice  of  welcome. 

"  My  daughter,  how  kind  of  you  to  come  again,  and  your 
father,  too.  It  seems  long  since  you  favored  us  with  your 
presence,  Mr.  Hastings,  in  our,  no  doubt  to  you,  strange 
home." 

Mr.  Hastings  greeted  the  old  man  cordially.  "It  is 
some  months,  I  believe,  but  still  not  so  very  long  since  we 


536  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

met.  How  are  you  feeling  to-day.  I  suppose  the  winter  is 
rather  trying  to  you  ?  " 

"  Not  that,  for  as  you  perceive  we  have  a  summer  tem- 
perature here  and  are  as  comfortable  as  those  in  the  man- 
sions above  ground.  Old  age  is  the  foe  that  I  have  to  en- 
tertain as  a  guest.  And  yet  he  is  kind,  a  very  generous 
enemy,  but  the  citadel  cannot  hold  out  forever  against  the 
watchful  antagonists  around,  aided  by  the  enfeebling  pres- 
ence of  the  one  within.  No  hope  of  raising  the  siege,  my 
friends,  in  this  case,  and  the  garrison  must  wisely  prepare 
for  speedy  capitulation.  Yet  if  we  are  allowed  to  march 
out  with  the  honors  of  war,  retaining  our  side  arms,  we 
shall  be  satisfied.  In  other  words,  let  death  come,  I  am 
ready,  and  only  ask  that  I  may  retain  my  reasoning  powers, 
with  memory,  sight,  and  hearing,  to  the  end." 

Mr.  Hastings  noticed  how  thoroughly  matters  had  been 
put  in  winter  trim.  On  the  side  facing  the  Ravine  the 
great  wide  mouth  of  the  cave  was  now  a  huge  window,  a 
broad  framework  of  glass  and  iron  against  which  the  storm 
could  beat  harmlessly.  A  roaring  fire  sent  abundant  light 
and  warmth  in  every  direction,  and  ventilation  was  pro- 
vided for  by  pipes  communicating  with  the  outside. 
Naclia  and  Sophie  had,  after  the  salutations  had  been  made, 
carried  off  Elsie  into  the  inner  room,  so  the  Exile's  remarks 
were  addressed  to  Mr.  Hastings.  The  others  now  re- 
turned, the  little  maiden  clinging  to  the  hand  of  her  friend, 
to  her  the  representative  of  the  vast  world  outside  of  which 
she  knew  so  little.  "  I  know  ever  so  much  English,  Miss 
Elsie,  I  talk  with  grandfather  every  day.  Uncle  Adolph 
used  to  teach  me  until  he  went  away,  and  now  grandfather 
hears  my  English  lesson  ; "  and  so  she  prattled  on,  showing 
remarkable  progress,  and  demonstrating  the  peculiar  fa- 
cility with  which  the  Sclavonic  race  can  acquire  certain 
foreign  tongues,  especially  the  English. 

At  the  mention  of  his  son's  name  by  the  child,  the  old 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  537 

man  had  looked  up  wistfully,  and  presently  said  :  "I  miss 
Adolph  more  than  I  like  to  acknowledge.  The  tie  which 
binds  us  is  a  peculiar  one.  To  me  he  is  my  child,  resur- 
rected— '  my  son,  who  was  dead,  made  alive  again,  the  lost 
found  '  as  an  old  scripture  has  it.  To  others  who  cannot 
view  matters  as  I  do,  Adolph  is  simply  my  adopted  child." 

"  I  have  heard  you  speak  of  this  matter  before,  and  to  me 
it  is  at  least  a  curious  phase  of  belief  ;  but  is  the  proof  of 
this  rebirth  really  full  and  complete  to  you  both.  Is  Adolph 
as  satisfied  on  the  point  as  you  seem  to  be  ?  "  said  Mr. 
Hastings. 

"  Yes,  and,  as  might  be  expected,  in  some  respects  it  is 
clearer  to  him  than  to  me.  I  fear  growing  tedious  on  this 
point  and  repeating  what  I  have  said  in  your  hearing  be- 
fore, but  as  I  approach  the  end  of  my  earthly  journey  these 
matters  become  clearer  and  clearer  and  occupy  my  thoughts, 
often  to  the  exclusion  of  everything  else.  I  see  that  this 
world,  this  life,  is  able  to  develop  a  man  up  to  a  certain 
point,  as  exhibited  in  the  best  specimens  of  the  race,  and 
that  souls  must  be  returned  here  until  that  development,  or 
at  least  such  development  as  they  are  susceptible  of,  has  been 
accomplished.  This  planet  is  but  a  link  in  a  great  chain  of 
worlds  which  form  an  ascending  series,  a  graded  develop- 
ment for  the  sentient  children  of  the  Supreme." 

"Let  me  ask  a  question  in  the  line  of  your  thought,  sir. 
Do  you  expect  to  return  again  to  this  world  ?  "  and  the 
speaker  waited  the  reply  with  some  curiosity,  as  did  also 
his  daughter. 

The  old  man  smiled.  "I  do  not.  Something  tells  me  my 
human  probation  is  finished.  Many  times  have  I  entered 
by  the  gateway  of  births  on  this  sphere,  but  I  think  I  have 
now  received  the  training  earth  can  give  me.  I  do  not  as- 
sert this  positively,  for  I  may  return,  but  a  repeated  experi- 
ence of  life  gives  us  this  knowledge.  Leaders,  teachers, 
prophets,  the  inspired  ones  in  all  the  ages,  are,  as  I  have  said 


538  THE   KUSSIAN   EEFTJGEE. 

once  before,  merely  the  elder  sons  of  earth  ;  and  the  stupid, 
the  ignorant,  the  slow,  as  well  as  the  reckless  life-wasters, 
can  look  forward — if  such  prevision  can  come  to  such  per- 
sons— to  a  period  when  the  sharp  discipline  of  repeated  life 
here  has  developed  their  dull  minds,  aroused  susceptibility 
and  conscience,  and  earned  for  them  reputation,  respect, 
reverence.  The  old  Mother  Earth  will  always  clasp  to  her 
bosom  representative  sons,  the  fruit  of  many  generations  of 
life  here.  I  do  not  claim  that  my  thoughts  on  this  subject 
are  new.  I  am  rejoiced  to  say  they  are  as  old  in  some  form 
or  another  as  the  race.  Many  of  the  ancient  as  well  as 
modern  teachers  have  hinted  at  this  rebirth  as  a  probability 
or  a  necessity,  but  with  me  it  is  no  mere  speculation  as  with 
them  ;  it  is  knowledge  based  upon  intuition  and  belief,  veri- 
fied by  laborious  and  varied  observation." 

"  But,  father,"  ventured  Elsie,  "  does  not  the  long  years 
of  childhood  and  youth  seem  almost  a  waste  of  time  if  one 
so  enters  the  world  for  a  second,  third,  or  fourth  life  ?  If  we 
could  be  reborn  full-grown  men  or  women,  and  so  start 
from  where  we  left  off,  it  would  seem  better." 

"  My  daughter,  and  so  start  with  the  prejudices,  and 
predispositions,  and  vicious  tendencies  of  the  old  life,  which 
would  prove  too  strong  for  us,  for  we  should  inevitably 
merely  repeat  the  former  experience,  and  so  nothing  be 
gained,  but  rather  much  be  lost,  as  old  habits  and  tenden- 
cies would  be  confirmed  and  emphasized  ?  No,  my  child  ; 
this  new  gestation,  so  to  speak,  is  essential  in  order  that 
the  evil  may  be,  during  these  years  of  preliminary  life  of 
childhood,  as  far  as  possible,  dissolved  out,  separated,  elim- 
inated, and  the  good  digested  and  assimilated.  Time  wasted 
you  fear.  What  is  Time  ?  Merely  the  earth-robe  in  which 
the  eternal  veils  himself,  and  to  Him  there  is  only  the  ever 
present,  the  now.  God  wastes  nothing.  This  second  expe- 
rience of  childhood  is  but  the  sieve  through  which  the  re- 
sults of  the  former  life  are  passed— the  good  survives,  the 


THE  EUSSIAN  REFUGEE.  539 

evil  is  obliterated.  The  conditions  may  be  such  that  the 
sieve  cannot  do  its  work  effectually,  but  something  will 
always  be  gained.  The  evil  tendencies  which  have  fastened, 
barnacle-like,  upon  some  poor  child  of  earth  until  prog- 
ress in  the  right  is  almost  impossible,  his  life  a  curse  to 
himself,  and  a  terror  and  constant  menace  to  his  fellows, 
possibly  cannot  be  reformed  without  several  passages 
through  this  valley  of  Time.  But  we  may  be  sure  that  re- 
incarnation will  be  his  portion  until  the  gold  is  purged 
from  stain  and  dross  so  far  as  is  necessary.  The  student 
who  fails  in  examination  will  be  remanded  to  the  lower 
school  until  such  time  as  progress  sufficient  has  been  made 
to  permit  his  being  received  into  the  higher." 

"I  think  I  understand  your  meaning  to  be  that  purity  of 
heart,  nobility  of  intent — moral  goodness,  in  short — is  the 
aim  of  our  earth  life,  and  must  be  attained  here  if  it  re- 
quires fifty  lives  on  earth  or  only  one.  And  assuming  such 
to  be  the  case,  it  is  easy  to  comprehend  how  that,  as  I 
think  you  intimated  on  a  former  occasion,  a  man  returning 
here  many  times  on  account  of  moral  deficiency,  might  ac- 
quire great  wealth  of  intellectual  knowledge  and  power, 
merely  as  a  result  of  repetition  and  immense  opportunity, 
and  so  come  in  process  of  time  to  be  a  mental  phenomenon 
— a  genius,"  remarked  the  master  of  the  Hermitage. 

"  Exactly,  my  son  ;  that  is  my  thought.  But  I  perceive 
the  dear  daughter  wishes  to  ask  a  question.  Speak  freely, 
my  child,  or  shall  I  state  it  for  you?  You  cannot  avoid 
the  thought,  that  perhaps  reverse  conditions  may  prevail, 
and  that  a  bad  man  reborn  may  have  the  evil  in  his  soul 
intensified,  and  so  become  worse  instead  of  better  by  con- 
tinued return  to  this  mundane  sphere  ?  "  and  the  speaker 
regarded  her  with  a  look  of  smiling  inquiry. 

"  Yes,  supposing  that  he  be  reborn  repeatedly  amid  un- 
favorable conditions,"  replied  Elsie  to  her  father's  amaze- 
ment at  their  host's  mind-reading  power. 


540  THE   KUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

"Under  very  peculiar  conditions  of  evil  such  a  thing 
might  seem  to  be  possible  for  several  rebirths,  but  the 
influences  of  childhood  and  youth  help  to  avert  this 
danger,  their  tendency  being  to  purify  and  develop  for 
good,  until  finally  innocence  and  purity,  the  characteristics 
of  that  period,  neutralize  the  evil  and  soften  the  heart  of 
the  wrong-doer.  You  know  a  great  teacher  once  said, 
'  Except  ye  be  converted  and  become  as  little  children,  ye 
cannot  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven/  and  the  attain- 
ment of  the  child-like  spirit  of  trust  and  guileless  intent  is 
the  end  of  the  discipline  of  earth  ;  that  accomplished  our 
wings  have  grown,  which  will  waft  us  to  the  higher  life." 

"But  if  this  theory  is  true,  how  could  we  possibly  forget 
the  previous  life  or  lives?  This  seems  to  me  almost  a  fatal 
objection  to  the  view,"  suggested  Mr.  Hastings. 

"  My  dear  friend,  it  is  not  a  theory  with  me  and  many 
others,  who  have  full  and  sufficient  evidence  of  it.  But  as 
to  your  very  reasonable  objection,  let  me  ask,  How  much 
do  you  recollect  of  your  life  of  say  ten  years  ago,  much  less 
of  twenty  years  since  ?  A  mere  film,  a  shadow,  an  impres- 
sion with  a  tolerably  strong  point  standing  out  here  and 
there,  a  tiny  island  or  so,  a  mere  nothing  compared  with 
that  vast  continent  covered  by  the  waters  of  oblivion.  But 
perhaps  we  have  dwelt  long  enough  on  this.  Old  men 
must  have  their  hobbies,  you  know,  and  the  garrulousness 
of  age  is  proverbial." 

The  visitors  disclaimed  any  weariness  of  the  topic,  and 
indeed  would  have  liked  to  have  asked  more  questions 
which  naturally  arose  in  their  minds,  but  to  please  their 
host  assented  to  his  suggestion,  and  the  conversation  be- 
came general. 

It  was  evident  that  the  old  man  was  pining  for  his  son, 
from  whom  he  had  not  before  been  separated  longer  than  a 
few  days  from  the  period  of  his  adoption.  Elsie's  heart  ached 
for  him  in  his  bereavement,  and  she  felt  some  little  com- 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  541 

punction,  in  remembering  her  promise  to  the  son,  that  she 
had  not  been  to  see  him  earlier,  but  then  she  had  met  him 
twice  since  Adolph's  departure  at  the  trapper's  cottage,  and 
he  was  so  cheerful  on  these  occasions  that  she  had  not  felt 
anxious,  as  she  might  otherwise  have  been.  On  leaving, 
the  Exile  declared  himself  much  benefited  by  their  visit, 
saying  they  had  imparted  to  him  magnetic  life  and  made 
him  feel  younger. 

Adolph  it  seemed  had  written  to  his  father  several 
times,  but  no  letter  had  reached  but  this  last,  inclosing 
the  one  to  Elsie. 

He  had  given  more  details  of  his  life  and  intentions  in 
the  home  letter,  and  hinted  that  if  the  purchase  of  the  dis- 
puted strip  of  territory  then  in  negotiation  between  Mexico 
and  the  United  States  was  completed,  then  the  party  would 
probably  move  south  of  the  Gila  Kiver,  and  make  their 
headquarters  at  the  old  Spanish  town  of  Tucson,  in  the 
centre  of  the  new  acquisition.  "  Professor  Darby,  of  our 
party,  who  has  been  in  correspondence  with  Mr.  James 
Gadsden,  United  States  Minister  to  Mexico,  who  is  conduct- 
ing the  matter  with  President  Santa  Anna,  says  that  un- 
doubtedly it  will  be  accomplished,"  wrote  Adolph,  "  al- 
though the  price  stipulated — ten  millions  of  dollars — 
seems  enormous  to  pay  for  a  strip  of  country  infested  by 
Indians,  even  if,  as  claimed,  it  is  as  large  as  Pennsylvania." 
The  writer  said  further  that  if  the  purchase  was  announced 
in  the  newspapers,  that  letters  for  the  future  should  be 
addressed  to  the  old  town  of  Tucson,  mentioned  above. 

On  the  return  home  the  little  Russian  maiden  accom- 
panied them,  Elsie  having  at  last  obtained  the  consent  of 
the  elders  to  keep  her  for  one  week.  The  child  was  nearly 
wild  with  excitement  and  delight. 

"  And  I  shall  see  your  pretty  home,  and  live  in  a  house 
over  the  ground,"  she  said,  repeatedly  clasping  the  hand  of 
the  young  lady  on  the  journey,  as  they  sped  rapidly  along. 


542  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

"  Now,  Sophie,"  Elsie  instructed  her  protegee,  "  if  anyone 
asks  your  name,  or  where  you  live,  just  say  your  name  is 
Sophie,  and  that  you  live  in  the  country  some  distance 
from  here." 

Secrecy  as  regarded  the  cave  and  its  inhabitants  was  still 
insisted  on  by  the  Patriarch  and  approved  by  Elsie  and  her 
father,  for  although  they  realized  that  they  were  no  longer 
in  any  danger  from  official  or  political  sources,  yet  all  real- 
ized that  existence  would  be  made  a  burden  to  them  by 
prying,  curious  people  if  their  peculiar  residence  and  mode 
of  life  were  once  known  to,  or  even  suspected  by,  the 
public. 


CHAPTER  XLVL 

TO  SOLVE  A  PROBLEM. 

THE  heart  of  the  winter  was  past,  the  dark  days  were 
over.  Nature  had  fumed,  and  fretted,  and  stormed,  but 
the  sun  rose  every  morning  a  trifle  brighter,  adding  a  mor- 
sel daily  to  the  length  of  the  lighted  hours,  so  the  fierce 
storm-king  finally  found  himself  beaten,  and  was  com- 
pelled to  succumb  to  the  persistent  advances  of  the  con- 
queror from  the  south  bearing  the  golden  fleece. 

This  steady  march  of  Time,  that  foot-fall  ever  dropping 
on  the  great  shore,  at  midnight,  in  the  meridian  of  day, 
like  the  tireless  tread  of  the  sleuth-hound  in  his  relentless 
pursuit — on,  on,  on  !  The  day  may  be  dark  and  dreary,  but 
Time  never  falters  ;  or  joyous  and  full  of  mirth,  but  he 
stays  not ;  for  the  pendulum  of  life  ever  swings  its  to  and  fro, 
and  the  minutes  mount  to  hours,  and  the  hours  go  to  swell 
the  fleeting  years.  No  credit  here,  but  prompt  payment  on 
delivery.  Cash  over  the  counter ;  we  give  existence  in 
small  or  large  coins  for  everything  we  receive.  Eternity 
the  bank,  Time  the  circulating  medium,  of  which  each 
one  has  so  much  entered  to  his  credit,  and  we  spend  and 
spend,  ever  drawing  on  our  deposit,  thinking  it  inexhaust- 
ible ;  but  no  overdrawing  the  account  in  this  bank,  and  the 
limit  once  reached,  we  must  perforce  surrender  our  check- 
books. 

January,  February,  March  came  and  went,  and  now 
April  was  here,  with  its  bright  look  forward,  its  promise  of 
good  things  to  come.  And  Elsie  sat  at  her  window,  pen 


544  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

in  hand,  with  the  fair  white  sheet  as  yet  untouched,  lost  in 
reverie,  thinking  of  the  past  few  months  and  what  they 
had  enwrapped  for  her  and  hers  in  their  fleecy  folds,  for 
the  winter  had  been  severe,  and  snow  and  storm  had  held 
high  carnival.  'Twas  but  yesterday  that  the  brown  earth 
threw  off  its  white  raiment,  in  which  for  four  long  months 
it  had  closely  enshrouded  itself.  Four  months — a  brief 
period,  to  be  sure,  but  in  that  small  fraction  of  life  how 
much  can  happen  to  mar  or  make  us  ? 

Elsie  felt  that  these  weeks  which  had  swept  so  swiftly 
by  on  winter's  wings  had  been  of  more  importance  than 
their  mere  external  showing  seemed  to  imply.  They  had 
intensified  and  consolidated  her  life.  They  had  brought 
as  much  inner  experience  as  though  each  month  had  been 
a  year.  They  had  emphasized  that  individuality  which, 
while  quite  a  marked  characteristic  before,  had  lain  com- 
paratively dormant.  Her  intercourse  with  the  Cave  phi- 
losopher had  aroused  and  quickened  her  whole  mentality. 
This  ancient  sage  had  by  his  original  thought  and  Socra- 
tic  way  of  asking  questions  urged  her  really  good  intellect 
to  its  full  bent,  and  she  felt  that  for  the  first  period  of  her 
conscious  existence  she  had  learned  the  great  lesson  so 
often  missed  in  our  elaborate  systems  of  modern  educa- 
tional training — how  to  think  for  herself.  Not  to  get  opin- 
ions from  books,  nor  to  take  the  thoughts  of  others  second- 
hand, and  use  them  as  her  own,  but  to  cope  with  the  sub- 
ject originally,  and  cling  to  it  tenaciously  until  light  came 
in  one  way  or  another. 

In  these  weeks  the  young  lady  felt  that  she  had  devel- 
oped into  a  stronger  womanhood,  although  the  growth 
had  been  an  almost  insensible  one.  But  the  grand  fact 
was  patent  to  her— she  had  grown.  Not  a  joyful  period, 
these  winter  months  now  fast  lapsing  into  the  hungry  jaws 
of  the  all-devouring  past,  for  there  had  been  enough  sad- 
ness to  cloud  somewhat  the  sun  of  her  life  and  tone  the 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  545 

brightness  to  gray  or  neutral  tints.  This  sadness  was 
partly  personal  and  partly  sympathetic. 

Her  aged  friend's  grief  for  the  absence  of  his  son  touched 
her  deeply.  To  be  sure,  he  rarely  hinted  his  heartache, 
but  Elsie  felt  it  all  the  more,  possibly  because  it  touched  a 
responsive  chord  in  her  own  bosom.  And  the  problem 
that  filled  her  mind  now  and  pressed  for  solution,  as  she 
sat  by  her  bed-room  window  on  this  early  spring  morning, 
was — How  should  the  lost  one  be  restored  to  gladden  and 
inspire  the  venerable  earth-pilgrim  who  had  so  long  lingered 
amid  the  fogs  and  damps  of  the  valley  of  Time?  She  felt 
confident,  and  the  thought  was  dagger-like  to  her  affec- 
tionate heart,  that  whatever  was  to  be  done  must  be  done 
quickly.  The  Patriarch  was  slowly  fading  away,  and  his 
time  in  the  lower  life  was  brief. 

This  was  Elsie's  firm  conviction  as  she  left  the  Cave  on 
her  last  visit,  a  few  days  since.  No  other  letters  had  been 
received  from  the  loved  one  far  away,  although  they  had 
no  doubt  he  had  written,  and  the  dread  uncertainty  re- 
garding his  fate  was  settling  down  like  a  pall  on  the  Cave 
friends,  and  Elsie  felt  the  chill  of  the  deep  shadow  too,  in 
little  less  degree,  although  she  rarely  expressed  herself  in 
words. 

Her  meditation  lasted  some  time,  and  the  mental  conflict 
could  be  detected  in  her  expressive  features.  Finally,  she 
rose  abruptly  and,  throwing  down  paper  and  pen,  exclaimed, 
"  It  is  useless  writing.  Have  I  not  done  so  three  times, 
urging  his  return,  and  probably  not  one  has  reached  him  ? 
I  will  see  the  dear  old  father  this  very  morning,  and  find 
out  if  we  cannot  devise  some  better  plan." 

A  note  was  hastily  written  to  Hiram,  for  the  eccentric 
trapper  could  read  and  write  fairly,  although  he  declared 
he  never  knew  how  he  learned — asking  him  to  meet  her  at 
the  cave  entrance  in  three  hours'  time. 

"Tell  Miss  Elsie— all  right,"  was  the  message  brought 
35 


546  THE   EUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

to  her  shortly  after  breakfast,  and  soon  she  was  in  the  sad- 
dle urging  Gyp  rapidly  to  the  place  of  meeting.  No  ab- 
stract or  abstruse  subjects  were  discussed  on  this  occasion, 
for  Elsie  proceeded  at  once  to  the  subject  which  filled  her 
heart. 

After  her  eager  and  impulsive  questions  had  brought  out 
the  possibilities  in  the  case,  and  shown  what  courses  could 
be  followed  to  bring  about  communication  between  Adolph 
and  his  father,  looking  to  his  return  home  soon,  she  startled 
them  all — for  Nadia  and  her  husband  and  child  were  pres- 
ent— by  saying :  "  But  these  plans,  although  good  in  them- 
selves, are  too  tedious.  Why,  it  would  be  midsummer  be- 
fore your  son  could  be  here.  No,  he  must  come  before 
that.  Someone  must  go  after  him  and  bring  him  home." 

The  little  company  opened  their  eyes  wide  with  astonish- 
ment at  the  very  mention  of  such  a  thing,  but  Elsie  saw  by 
the  lighting  up  of  the  old  Exile's  face  and  the  eager,  wistful 
glance  which  flashed  upon  her  from  his  eyes,  that  it  was 
like  sunshine  to  his  heart,  this  audacious  proposition  of 
hers. 

"Yes,  my  dear  daughter,  your  instinct  is  true.  If 
Adolph  does  not  arrive  before  midsummer  he  will  not  see 
me  in  the  flesh,  and  I  do  so  long  to  see  him  once  more," 
and  the  aged  features  exhibited  an  emotion  that  was  but 
rarely  visible  there,  and  the  hands  worked  nervously.  It  was 
but  for  a  moment,  but  spoke  more  than  a  volume  of  words. 

"You  naturally  inquire,  who  will  go  ?  "  continued  Elsie, 
as  she  stood  in  their  midst,  too  excited  to  sit  down,  and 
while  she  spoke  she  felt  the  nose  of  the  great  hound  Alex 
against  her  hand.  "Ivan  cannot  go,  he  is  needed  here, 
and  besides,  does  not  understand  the  ways  of  the  country ; 
Hiram  knows  all  the  circumstances  and  is  faithful  as  Alex 
here,  but  he  lacks  the  tact  and  discretion  necessary  for  suc- 
cess in  such  an  enterprise  as  this.  There  is  only  one  left 
who  is  familiar  with  all  the  peculiar  requirements  of  the 


THE  EUSSIAN   KEFTJGEE.  547 

case,  and  that  is  myself ; "  and  here  the  speaker  fixed  her 
full  black  eyes,  shining  like  stars,  upon  the  venerable  face 
which  was  regarding  her  with  mingled  surprise  and  love. 
"  Give  me  your  blessing,  my  dear  father,  and  I  will  go  and 
bring  back  your  son."  So  saying,  she  stooped,  kneeling  be- 
side him,  clasping  his  right  hand  in  both  of  hers. 

Laying  his  disengaged  hand  fondly  and  caressingly  upon 
her  glossy  black  tresses,  the  old  man  remained  silent  for  a 
little  space,  as  if  trying  to  control  his  emotions.  At  length, 
in  a  voice  that  trembled  with  deep  feeling,  he  said  :  "  My 
beloved  child,  believe  me,  I  appreciate  deeply  the  spirit  of 
noble  self-sacrifice  and  tender  loving-kindness  which  in- 
duces you  to1  make  such  an  offer,  but  I  were  base  indeed 
did  I  permit  such  a  sacrifice.  No,  we  must  devise  some 
other  plan,  for  I  could  not  look  again  on  your  father's  face 
did  I  permit  you  to  undertake  such  a  perilous  journey  for 
one  to  whom  you  are  bound  by  no  ties  but  those  of  tender 
sympathy,  prompted  by  your  own  generous,  loving  nature." 

"  But  I  must  do  this,  and  with  your  blessing  I  shall  be 
safe  and  succeed  in  my  mission."  She  rose  in  speaking  and 
resumed  her  seat  beside  him.  "  I  have  thought  it  over 
fully.  I  will  take  Hiram  with  me  ;  he  will  supplement  me 
in  the  qualities  I  lack,  and  I  can  control  and  direct.  Ee- 
member,  I  am  a  country  girl,  and  inured  by  daily  exercise 
in  the  open  air  to  hardship.  Anything  is  better  than  the 
dreadful  suspense  in  which  we  have  all  been  living  and 
which  is  slowly  killing  you.  This  expedition  will  be  a  pos- 
itive relief  to  me." 

"But  your  dear  father,  Miss  Elsie,"  said  Sophie,  who 
during  her  week's  sojourn  at  the  Hermitage  had  become 
much  attached  to  Mr.  Hastings.  "  Oh  !  I  fear  he  would  die 
without  you,"  and  the  little  maiden  cried  sorrowfully  at  the 
picture  her  imagination  conjured  up. 

"  Sophie  is  right ;  this  must  not  be  thought  of  for  an  in- 
stant. Your  father's  claim,  my  child,  is  paramount  to  all 


548  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

others.  Providence  will  open  up  some  other  way  of  relief," 
said  the  Patriarch  feebly — for  the  struggle  between  desire 
to  see  his  son  and  duty  to  the  absent  parent,  and  unwill- 
iu^ness  to  accept  such  a  heroic  sacrifice  on  the  part  of  one 
whom  he  loved  almost  as  dearly  as  the  son  he  mourned  so 
constantly,  was  exhausting  his  strength. 

The  visitor  perceived  this  and  decided  to  end  the  scene, 
so  painful  to  all,  so  she  said,  firmly  :  "  Father,  I  am  re- 
solved. My  father  will  know  nothing  about  it  until  I  re- 
turn. I  have  an  aunt  in  St.  Louis,  and  a  visit  to  her  will 
leave  the  way  open,  and  my  father  need  have  no  anx- 
iety. In  two  days  I  shall  be  on  my  way,  that  is,  if  Hi- 
ram can  be  ready  so  soon.  Give  me  your  blessing,  and  I 
promise  you  shall  see  Mr.  Adolph  within  six  weeks  at  the 
furthest." 

The  Patriarch's  manner  changed,  and  the  old  look  of 
peace  came  back  to  his  countenance.  He  arose  with  new 
strength,  and  placing  both  hands  on  her  head,  said,  in  a  low 
voice :  "  May  all  good  angels  be  with  you  by  day  and  by 
night,  to  guard  you  from  harm  ;  may  the  spirit  of  love 
attend  your  steps,  and  shield  you  from  all  who  would  hinder  ; 
may  the  spirit  of  peace  spread  his  white  wings  over  your 
head,  a  canopy  to  shelter  and  protect ;  and  may  the  Su- 
preme have  you  in  His  special  keeping." 

Then  the  ancient  speaker  seemed  to  be  directing  his 
gaze  into  the  distance,  his  hands  still  on  the  maiden's  head, 
and  his  face  and  form  seemed  to  take  on  that  peculiar 
prophetic  inspirational  cast  alluded  to  before,  as  he  spoke 
half  to  himself : 

"  I  see  clearly — there  are  dangers  and  obstacles  many, 
but  you  will  conquer.  Darkness,  wide-spreading,  but  light 
— light  beyond.  You  will  triumph,  my  daughter,  and  be 
restored  to  us  in  safety,  and  succeed  too  in  your  mission. 
I  shall  see  my  boy  again.  He  still  lives.  My  intuitions 
never  fail  me.  Go  in  peace,  and  may  heaven  bless  you." 


THE   RUSSIAN   EEFUGEE.  549 

So  saying,  he  pressed  his  lips  to  her  forehead,  and  quietly 
passed  out  of  the  room. 

Mr.  Hastings  had  been  called  to  New  York,  and  when 
he  returned  home  on  the  evening  of  the  third  day  after  the 
visit  above  mentioned  to  the  cave,  he  found  on  inquiry  that 
his  daughter  was  absent,  having  left  home  that  morning, 
and  that  a  note  from  her  was  awaiting  him  on  the  library 
table.  It  read  as  follows : 

April  6,  18—. 

MY  OWN  DEAREST  FATHER  :  You  will  not,  I  trust,  feel  angry 
with  me,  or  even  seriously  annoyed,  when  I  tell  you  what  I  have  done. 
You  know  you  have  urged  me  frequently  during  the  winter  to  go  off 
somewhere  visiting  for  a  few  days,  saying  that  I  required  a  change — 
now,  haven't  you  ?  Well,  then,  I  have  taken  one  of  my  freaks,  as 
you  term  them,  and  have  gone  to  hunt  up  a  friend  in  the  great  West. 
I  am  on  my  way  to  Aunt  Mary's  in  St.  Louis.  Father,  you  must  not 
fret  at  my  absence,  although  I  know  you  will  miss  me  for  a  while 
and  perhaps  be  lonely,  but  Lizzie  and  Madam  will  attend  to  every- 
thing, and  you  might  ask  Mr.  St.  Johns  to  spend  a  week  or  so  with 
you.  I  felt  really  as  if  I  must  get  away  for  a  while,  or  I  should  be 
sick.  I  will  write  from  St.  Louis,  but  do  not  worry  if  I  should  not 
return  for  a  month.  Ever  your  loving  ELSIE. 

P.  S. — I  gave  Mrs.  Wagram  full  instructions  in  case  Mr.  St.  Johns 
should  come,  and  indeed  about  everything  else  I  could  think  of,  but 
my  brain  was  in  something  of  a  whirl,  with  getting  ready,  and  one 
thing  and  another.  E. 

Mr.  Hastings  rang  the  bell,  and  it  was  promptly  answered 
by  Mrs.  Wagram,  who  had  been  hovering  nigh,  half  ex- 
pecting the  summons.  The  lively  French  woman  had  been 
keeping  pretty  quiet  since  her  exciting  experiences  in  the 
detective  line,  and  her  health,  which  had  been  impaired 
for  a  time,  owing  to  the  high-strung  nervous  condition  in 
which  she  had  been  compeUed  to  live  during  that  trying 
season,  was  now  quite  restored.  She  was  brimful  of 
curiosity  concerning  Elsie's  sudden  departure,  and  hoped 
that  Mr.  Hastings  could  throw  some  light  upon  the  subject. 


550  THE   KUSSIAN   EEFUGEE. 

"  Mi's.  Wagram,  did  my  daughter  leave  any  message  with 
you,  or  say  anything  about  her  journey  before  leaving?  " 

"  No,  sir  ;  she  said  the  note  would  explain  everything. 
Did  you  read  the  note,  sir  ?  " 

"Yes.  Well,  serve  the  dinner  at  the  usual  hour.  Strange," 
she  heard  him  say  to  himself  as  she  left  the  room,  and  she 
saw  that  his  child's  sudden  disappearance  had  depressed 
and  vexed  him,  for  contrary  to  his  usual  frank  manner  to 
her  while  dining,  he  was  taciturn  and  reserved. 


CHAPTER  XLVH. 
CIVILIZED   AND  SAVAGE. 

PERHAPS  it  is  absolutely  necessary  that  every  woman 
should  have  at  least  one  confidant  of  her  own  sex.  A  man 
may  devour  the  chagrins  of  his  lot  in  gloomy  silence,  and 
let  hidden  woes,  concealed  griefs,  or  unsuspected  cares 
eat  his  heart  out.  He  may  bear  heavy  burdens  of  respon- 
sibility unknown  to  others,  until  his  spiritual  vertebral  col- 
umn bends  or  breaks,  and  give  no  sign.  But  the  gentle 
sex  is  wiser,  as  a  rule,  and  sensibly  relieves  the  pressure 
of  weighty  secrets  by  sharing  with  some  trusty  friend.  To 
be  able  to  speak  confidentially  about  our  private  cares  and 
trials,  or  our  projected  enterprises,  with  someone  that  we 
know  to  be  loyal  to  the  trust,  and  true  as  steel  to  the  con- 
fidence reposed,  is  comfort  and  relief  beyond  all  expression. 
This  necessity  of  human  nature,  especially  woman's  nature, 
is  the  secret  of  the  great  influence  of  the  professions  of  di- 
vinity and  medicine.  A  minister's  study  and  a  physician's 
office  are  equally  confessional  boxes,  and  hold  rank  with 
those  special  chambers  of  limited  area  which  we  find  con- 
secrated to  the  use  of  the  priest  and  penitent  in  the  old 
cathedrals. 

Before  Elsie  started  on  what  to  the  common  mind  would 
be  considered  a  very  wild  expedition  indeed,  she  called  to 
bid  Ellen  Seaman  farewell.  The  young  Englishwoman 
perceived  at  once  that  it  was  no  ordinary  trip  on  which  her 
friend  was  going.  She  felt  or  knew,  by  that  quick,  lightning- 
like  intuition  which  is  so  noticeable  among  the  more  re- 


552  THE   KUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

fined  and  delicately  organized  of  her  sex,  that  behind  the 
placid,  matter-of-fact  demeanor  of  her  cousin  there  was 
deep  feeling  and  a  burden  of  care.  Perhaps  she  gathered 
something  of  this  conclusion  from  past  knowledge,  and  a 
hint  dropped  here  and  there,  and  the  active  use  of  an  un- 
commonly observing  pair  of  eyes.  Be  this  as.  it  may,  she 
realized  that  her  friend,  who  held  the  place  of  sister  in  her 
heart,  nearer  to  her  than  anyone  else  of  her  own  sex  in  the 
country  of  her  adoption,  was  going  away  on  a  long  journey, 
to  be  absent  for  some  weeks  possibly,  for  Elsie  hinted  as 
much,  and  with  a  burden  on  her  mind  which  friendship 
might  help  her  to  bear.  She  went  right  to  the  point,  yet 
with  such  tact  and  adroitness,  blended  with  such  full  sym- 
pathy, that  Elsie  could  not  resist,  and  finally  yielded.  It 
cost  some  tears,  but  she  unbosomed  herself  freely,  told  of 
her  hopes  and  fears,  and  of  her  perilous  undertaking. 

The  young  matron  was  amazed  at  the  daring  and  courage 
of  this  American  girl,  only  two  or  three  years  older  than 
herself.  And  yet  it  appealed  strongly  to  that  heroic  ele- 
ment which  seems  to  be  present  in  the  Anglo-Saxon  race, 
either  manifest  or  dormant,  and  her  enthusiasm  was 
aroused. 

"  Elsie,  you  are  a  heroine,  and  must  succeed  if  success  is 
possible.  I  know  you  too  well  to  try  to  dissuade  you  any 
further.  All  I  can  say  is,  that  if  this  Russian  wins  you,  he 
will  be  the  luckiest  man  in  the  world,  and  have  the  bravest 
woman  in  America  for  a  wife." 

"  Hush,"  said  Elsie,  almost  in  alarm  at  the  words  ;  "  re- 
member he  has  never  breathed  a  syllable  to  me  on  such  a 
subject.  How  do  I  know  that  he  cares  more  for  me  than 
for  anyone  else?" 

Ellen  smiled  knowingly,  saying,  "  Yes,  yes,  I  understand 
all  that,"  as  Elsie  went  on. 

"  Letters  have  failed  to  reach  him,  and  to  think  of  that  dear 
old  man,  at  his  great  age,  pining  for  the  presence  of  the 


THE    RUSSIAN    REFUGEE.  553 

one  dearest  to  him  on  earth,  and  the  shadows  of  that  event 
which  cannot  long  be  postponed,  daily  deepening  around 
him,  and  the  thought  that  unless  something  is  done  imme- 
diately they  will  never  meet,  pressing  on  us  all — I  could 
not  stand  it  I  felt  it  was  my  duty,  for  I  am  not  needed 
here,  and  I  have,  besides,  peculiar  advantages  in  such  an  un- 
dertaking. I  can  ride  as  well  as  most  men,  and  am  very 
strong  and  capable  of  enduring  fatigue.  I  can  handle  the 
revolver  and  rifle  with  some  skill,  and  besides,  my  heart  is 
in  the  work,  and  obstacles  which  might  discourage  another 
will  have  little  effect  on  me.  Also  I  shall  have  Hiram  with 
me,  who  knows  Indian  ways  and  habits  perfectly.  Never 
fear,  we  shall  succeed." 

A  promise  of  secrecy  on  one  side,  and  of  writing  as  often 
as  possible  on  the  other,  and  these  two  parted.  One  to 
her  household  tasks  and  meditation  for  many  long  days 
over  the  confidences  which  must  be  locked  fast  in  her  own 
bosom,  and  the  other  to  enter  a  path  crowded  with  dangers 
of  whose  magnitude  she  as  yet  little  dreamed. 

But  Elsie  felt  much  better  every  way  for  the  soul  part- 
nership she  had  entered  into  in  giving  another  permission 
to  look  into  the  inner  sanctuary  of  her  life.  Having  been 
an  only  child,  and  from  early  years,  with  the  exception  of 
her  cousin's  society,  for  a  great  part  of  her  life  living  alone 
with  her  father  and  servants,  she  had  never  formed  the 
habit  of  giving  confidences  such  as  girls  and  young  ladies 
impart  so  freely  to  each  other.  And  it  required  some 
great  exigency  like  the  present,  when  she  was  venturing 
on  an  unknown  path  without  even  consulting  her  parent, 
to  bring  her  to  the  point  of  opening  her  heart  to  another. 

But  now  that  it  was  done,  she' walked  with  a  lighter  step, 
and  felt  a  half  gaiety  which  an  hour  previously  would  have 
seemed  impossible.  It  was  indeed  pleasant  to  think  that 
another,  and  that  other  a  woman  with  all  a  woman's  feelings 
and  sj-mpathies,  knew  precisely  what  she  was  doing  or  try- 


554  THE    RUSSIAN    REFUGEE. 

ing  to  do,  and  also  the  motives  which  prompted  her  ac- 
tions. 

Elsie's  last  words  to  her  friend  were,  "  Depend  on  me, 
Ellen,  I  will  write  promptly  when  I  have  anything  definite 
to  impart."  But  the  time  dragged  along  very  wearily  be- 
fore that  promise  was  fulfilled  ;  then  in  about  twenty  days 
the  long  waiting  was  rewarded  by  a  letter,  which  was 
snatched  up  and  read  with  an  eagerness  that  piqued  War- 
ren's curiosity  not  a  little. 

"  Why,  Ellen,  if  that  letter  were  from  Queen  Vic  herself, 
I  might ;  but  no" — taking  up  the  discarded  envelope — "  ifc 
has  the  great  Kepublican  stamp  on  it,  and  I'm  blessed  if  it 
isn't  from  our  little  runaway  cousin  herself,  and  with  the 
Kansas  post-mark  on  it.  What  on  earth  can  the  wild  goose 
be  doing  out  there  ?  " 

Ellen  only  laughed  merrily,  and  read  to  herself  as  fol- 
lows : 

SANTA  F£,  NEW  MEXICO,  April  26,  18—. 

MY  DAKLING  ELLEN  :  I  date  this  Santa  Fe,  but  we  are  really 
seventeen  miles  northwest  of  the  old  town,  camped  on  the  upper  Rio 
Grande,  way  up  among  the  Rockies.  Mountains  skirting  the  land- 
scape on  every  side,  most  of  them  crowned  with  snow.  It  is  very 
high  up  here,  several  thousand  feet  above  the  sea-level,  I  judge. 
(I  suppose  I  ought,  as  a  true  American,  to  say  "  guess,"  but  I  spare 
you.)  Now  you  ask,  who  are  the  "we?"  Firstly,  then,  the  "Gi- 
raffe ; "  secondly,  Maunita,  an  Indian  girl ;  thirdly,  Sangar,  brother 
to  the  last  named  ;  and  fourthly,  the  writer.  A  goodly  company,  you 
say— but  how  did  we  come  together  ?  Well,  then,  to  begin  at  the 
beginning.  When  we  arrived  at  St.  Louis  and  I  had  interviewed  my 
Uncle  Grace,  my  mother's  brother,  whom  I  have  not  seen  since  I 
was  fourteen,  and  explained  my  purpose  in  coming  to  his  city,  I  be- 
gan to  realize  how  difficult  a  task  I  might  have  before  me.  My  uncle 
and  aunt  were  astonished,  of  course,  when  I  unfolded  my  plans,  and 
did  all  they  could  to  try  and  dissuade  me.  Before  telling  them,  I 
exacted  a  promise  of  secrecy.  I  told  them  I  could  only  stay  in  the 
city  about  twenty-four  hours,  which  time  I  must  spend  in  making 
preparations  and  obtaining  information.  I,  of  course,  only  told  them 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  555 

what  was  absolutely  necessary  to  secure  their  co-operation.  My 
uncle  has  traded  extensively  among  the  Indians,  and  when  he  saw 
I  was  determined,  he  set  to  work  with  a  will  to  help  me  all  he  could. 
My  aunt,  on  the  contrary,  threw  all  the  obstacles  she  could  in  my 
way,  and  only  for  my  uncle  would  have  written  directly  to  my 
father.  But  Uncle  Grace  has  a  fondness  for  adventure  himself,  and 
said  if  he  were  single  he  would  go  with  me. 

However,  I  must  hasten,  for  the  hunter  who  has  promised  to  mail 
this  will  be  starting  soon.  Uncle  said  it  would  be  madness  to  travel 
through  New  Mexico  without  an  Indian  guide,  and  he  knew  a  young 
Indian  living  among  the  Cherokees,  on  the  Reservation  lying  south- 
west of  Missouri,  that  he  thought  would  go  with  us.  His  mother,  he 
said,  was  a  Comanche  and  his  father  a  Cherokee,  and  as  the  former 
tribe  was  one  of  the  most  powerful  and  dangerous  in  the  region 
through  which  we  must  pass,  it  would  be  of  immense  advantage  to 
have  him  along.  So  Uncle  agreed  to  accompany  us  to  the  Reserva- 
tion to  interview  the  proposed  guide,  and  as  he  had  been  able  to 
do  him  a  great  favor  some  years  since,  and  Indians  as  a  rule  are  not 
ungrateful,  he  had  hopes  of  success.  Hiram  looked  after  our  outfit 
and  Uncle  secured  suitable  horses,  so  in  a  very  short  time  we  were 
en  route  for  the  Indian  village. 

We  arrived  there  without  mishap,  excepting  that  Uncle's  horse 
shied  and  threw  him,  bruising  him  somewhat ;  but  the  brave  old 
man  would  not  delay  on  that  account.  It  was  one  of  the  dreams  of 
my  girlhood  to  live  for  awhile  in  an  Indian  wigwam — from  reading 
Indian  stories,  I  expect — but  I  must  confess  I  was  not  enchanted  by 
the  realities  of  Indian  life.  But  more  of  that  when  we  meet.  Wo 
were  fortunate  in  finding  Sangar  at  home,  and  his  family  gave  us  an 
impressive  welcome,  and  served  a  fine  squirrel  supper  for  us  on  the 
evening  of  our  arrival.  Uncle  Grace  won  all  hearts  by  some  judi- 
cious presents  of  bright  beads,  and  jackknives,  and  tobacco. 

Sagaroxo,  the  head  of  the  family,  was  a  rather  fine -looking  Indian, 
but  somehow  I  could  not  help  feeling  that  the  smattering  of  civiliza- 
tion which  these  children  of  nature  have,  robbed  them  of  much  of 
their  wild  self-reliance  and  picturesque  independence,  without  giv- 
ing any  adequate  return.  They  are  inert  and  lazy,  for  want  of  the 
stimulus  to  exertion  which  constantly  met  them  in  the  savage  state. 
Sangar,  however,  in  justice  I  must  say,  is  somewhat  of  an  exception, 
and  has  shown  himself  energetic  and  adroit.  At  first  the  young 
man  was  averse  to  the  trip,  and  his  family  too,  but  I  talked  to  the 
mother,  representing  how  good  an  opportunity  it  would  be  for  him  to 


556  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

visit  her  relatives,  saying  I  had  always  heard  of  their  being  such  a 
brave  tribe.  You  should  have  seen  the  Comauche  blood  come  to  the 
dusky  woman's  cheek  and  her  black  eyes  dilate.  I  involuntarily  put 
my  hand  to  my  head  to  see  if  my  scalp  was  quite  safe,  so  wild  did  she 
look  for  a  moment.  But  I  began  to  fear  that  my  eloquence  had  been 
wasted,  as  on  retiring  to  our  skin-beds  nothing  had  been  decided  on. 

You  do  not  know,  my  dear,  how  delightful  a  skin-bed  is  after  a 
long  day  spent  in  the  saddle.  I  slept,  oh,  so  soundly,  although  it  did 
seem  as  if  the  most  thrilling  scraps  of  all  the  Indian  tales  I  had  ever 
read  were  rushing  wildly  through  my  dreams.  I  was  urging  Gyp 
madly  toward  a  yawning  precipice  to  escape  a  pack  of  yelling  Co- 
manches  close  at  his  heels,  when,  just  as  I  heard  a  whizz  and  felt  the 
keen  edge  of  the  flying  tomahawk  severing  my  scalp-lock  clean  to 
the  bone,  I  awoke  with  a  start  to  realize  in  my  terror  that  a  cool 
hand  was  being  passed  softly  and  soothingly  across  my  face.  Per- 
haps I  should  have  screamed  aloud,  forgetting  where  I  was  and  only 
half  conscious  ;  but  the  words  reached  my  ear  in  a  pleasant  half 
whispered  voice,  "  Don't  be  fraid,  white  lady,  me  talk  with  you  a  lit- 
tle." The  speaker  then  said  in  her  broken  English  that  she  was 
Sangar's  sister,  and  had  taken  a  liking  to  me,  and  would  like  to  ac- 
company me  in  my  trip  to  visit  her  relatives  ;  for  that  seemed  to  be 
the  idea  she  had  of  the  purport  of  my  journey. 

Just  think  of  taking  such  a  trip  for  the  pleasure  of  making  the 
acquaintance  of  a  family  of  savage  Comaiiches.  The  comical  aspect 
of  this  idea  struck  me  forcibly  as  I  lay  listening  to  this  dusky  maiden. 
Fortunately  the  darkness  hid  the  smile  on  my  countenance,  or  the 
result  might  not  have  been  so  pleasant.  She  went  on  to  say  that  she 
would  take  care  of  me  and  help  me  and  cook  for  me  ;  if  I  would  let 
her  go,  she  would  manage  so  that  her  brother  would  agree  to  go 
right  off.  It  took  her  some  time  to  tell  me  all  this,  for  her  stock  of 
English  words  was  limited.  You  may  suppose  that  her  words  were 
music  to  my  ears.  It  was,  I  could  see,  of  all  things  the  very  best. 
This  girl  would  be  a  companion  and  a  protection,  besides  insuring' 
the  fidelity  of  her  brother.  However,  I  knew  enough  of  Indian  nat- 
ure to  know  that  I  must  not  seem  to  yield  too  easily.  So  I  remained 
silent  as  if  deliberating,  while  the  regular  breathing  of  the  sleepers 
around,  white  and  red,  reached  my  ears  in  measured  cadence.  At 
length  I  said,  quietly,  "  What  is  your  name  V  " 

"JMaunita,"  she  murmured. 

"  Well,  Maunita,"  I  said,  "I  would  like  to  talk  with  you,  but  we 
cannot  talk  very  well  here.'' 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  557 

"Will  the  white  lady  come  out— moonlight  ?  "  she  asked,  putting 
her  lips  close  to  my  ear. 

"  Yes,"  I  answered  promptly,  raising  myself  into  a  sitting  posture. 

"Hist,"  she  said,  putting  her  finger  on  my  lips,  "follow  of  me. 
No,  no,"  she  said,  laying  a  restraining  hand  on  mine  as  I  naturally 
reached  for  my  moccasins,  which  we  had  adopted,  at  Uncle  Grace's 
suggestion,  instead  of  shoes.  So  I  followed  her  in  my  stocking-feet, 
carefully  imitating  her  as  she  stepped  deftly  and  noiselessly  over  one 
or  two  sleeping  forms  between  us  and  the  doorway. 

We  emerged  from  the  wigwam  into  the  pale  light  of  the  half- 
showing  moon,  and  following  my  guide  quietly,  we  passed  out  of 
the  village,  and  entered  a  small  clump  of  trees  which  I  had  noticed 
the  evening  before.  I  looked  at  my  watch,  it  was  just  half -past  two. 
There  were  some  smooth  logs  and  some  other  rude  seats  in  this, 
which  seemed  as  if  it  might  be  used  as  a  sort  of  public  gathering- 
place.  My  guide  now  seated  herself  on  the  end  of  one  of  the  logs 
and  motioned  me  to  do  the  same.  As  she  turned  toward  me,  I 
found  myself  confronted  by  a  handsome,  medium-sized  Indian  girl, 
about  nineteen  years  old. 

"A  very  pleasant  face,"  I  said,  mentally,  as  we  each  spent  about 
three  minutes  in  mutual  observation  of  each  other.  I  opened  the 
conversation  by  saying:  "  Well,  Maunita,  you  would  like  to  go  with 
me  ?  "  and  I  took  her  hand  as  she  gravely  nodded  assent.  I  con- 
tinued. "  If  I  agree  to  take  you,  will  you  be  faithful  to  me  and  take 
good  care  of  me  ?  I  have  lost  a  friend,  and  I  want  you  to  help  me 
find  him  and  bring  him  to  his  father,  who  is  very  old  and  very  sick — 
will  you  help  me  ?  " 

She  rose  to  her  full  height,  and  laying  her  left  hand  on  her  heart 
and  raising  her  right  to  the  half  moon,  which  we  could  see  dimly 
through  the  spring  foliage,  said  with  great  dignity,  *'  Me  will  help  to 
find  the  warrior  and  bring  him  back  to  his  wigwam  and  the  old 
chief." 

It  was  a  solemn  compact,  and  from  that  moment  I  felt  I  was  safe. 
"  You  shall  go  with  me,"  I  said,  taking  her  hand  again,  and  acting 
on  the  impulse  of  the  moment,  I  kissed  her  on  the  forehead.  She 
seemed  surprised  and  then  pleased,  and  fixing  her  glowing  black 
orbs  upon  my  face — and  I  fancied  I  could  detect  something  of  the 
Comanche  light  which  had  flashed  in  the  visage-of  the  mother  squaw 
the  previous  evening— she  said,  deliberately : 

"  Has  the  young  chief  got  any  squaw  ?  " 

I  shook  my  head,  and  a  quick  smile  lighted  up  for  a  moment  the 


558  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

fixed  gravity  of  her  face,  as  she  uttered  the  expressive  "ugh  !  "  at 
the  same  time  giving  me  a  look  which  spoke  a  whole  world  of  femi- 
nine curiosity  and  meaning. 

The  Indian  maiden  had  evidently  drawn  her  own  conclusions,  even 
if  the  premises  were  slender  ones.  I  suppose  we  women  are  all  alike 
in  certain  things,  civilized  or  savage,  red  or  white. 

Nothing  more  passed,  for  these  red  folks  are  a  reticent  race,  at  least 
with  whites,  and  we  returned  to  the  wigwam  as  quietly  as  we  left  it. 
The  next  morning  all  obstacles  seemed  removed,  and  when  I  pro- 
posed that  the  sister  as  well  as  the  brother  should  go  with  us  to 
search  for  the  young  chief,  and  visit  the  Comanche  relatives,  no  op- 
position was  made.  Evidently  my  night  visitor  was  a  power  behind 
the  throne.  So  here  we  are,  with  our  tent  pitched,  our  horses  teth- 
ered, and  Maunita  preparing  .supper  from  some  game  which  Hiram 
has  just  brought.  How  my  heart  longs  for  father  aud  you  all. 

Your  loving  Cousin, 

ELSIE  HASTINGS. 

Ellen  folded  the  letter  and  put  it  in  her  bosom,  sitting 
for  a  minute  or  two  in  silence,  as  if  thinking  earnestly  about 
something.  At  length,  half  to  herself,  she  said  without 
looking  up,  and  as  if  totally  unconscious  of  her  husband's 
presence,  "  What  a  girl  she  is,  anyhow — but  that  shrewd 
Indian  !  " 

"  Keally,  Ellen,  you  might  read  me  the  entire  letter.  I 
see  you  have  put  it  away  safely  until  I  come  home,  but 
please  to  remember,  my  love,  that  I  am  home,  and  eager  to 
hear  you  read  it." 

Ellen  started  as  "Warren  began  to  speak,  for  so  absorbed 
had  she  been  in  the  letter  that  she  absolutely  had  supposed 
for  the  moment  that  she  was  alone.  "  Oh,  Warren,  I  would 
give  the  world  to  be  able  to  read  it  to  you,  but  it  would  be 
a  breach  of  trust.  My  lips  are  sealed  by  a  promise,  so  you 
will  not  press  me,  I  know." 

The  doctor  looked  a  little  disappointed  for  a  moment, 
and  then,  smiling  in  his  usual  frank  manner,  said  :  "Not 
for  a  gold  mine  would  I  tempt  my  little  Englishwoman  to 
break  a  promise.  But  you  can  tell  me,  is  my  cousin  all 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  559 

right  and  in  good  company  ?  She  is  such  a  wild  cat  that  I 
would  not  be  surprised  to  hear  that  she  had  been  elected 
as  female  chief  of  an  Indian  tribe." 

"  Ah,  you  cunning  fellow  !  you  heard  me  say  Indian  and 
so  took  your  cue  ;  but  you  can't  catch  me  that  way.  Yes, 
she  is  quite  well,  and  in  excellent  company." 

"  Ta  ta,"  said  the  man  of  medicine,  as  he  gave  her  a  kiss, 
and  another  because  she  was  "like  the  renowned  Geo.  W.," 
he  said,  and  vanished. 


CHAPTEE  XLVHL 
PERILS    BY    THE    WAY. 

WHETHER  Mr.  Hastings  had  any  suspicions  of  the  time 
cause  of  his  daughter's  absence  or  not,  Ellen  was  unable  to 
determine,  but  he  found  out  somehow  that  Elsie  had 
agreed  to  correspond  with  her  and  that  at  least  one  letter 
had  been  received.  He  spent  a  good  deal  of  time  at  his 
nephew's,  and  Ellen  gave  him  all  the  satisfaction  she  could 
about  the  absent  one  without  actually  infringing  on  the 
pledge  given.  It  was  evident  from  what  he  said,  from  time 
to  time,  that  he  was  in  close  correspondence  with  the 
Graces  in  St.  Louis,  and  knew  that  she  had  long  since  left 
that  city. 

"  Elsie  ought  to  have  trusted  me,"  he  said,  a  little  bit- 
terly, about  three  weeks  after  her  departure  ;  "I  would 
have  furthered  any  plan  she  had,  cheerfully.  I  never  de- 
nied her  anything  that  was  for  her  good." 

"  She  knew  that,  uncle,  as  we  all  know  it,  but,  believe 
me,  there  was  no  intentional  deception  in  this.  You  will 
be  proud  of  her  when  she  returns,  and  I  am  looking  for 
her  every  day,"  pleaded  Ellen,  earnestly.  "  Elsie  is  no  com- 
mon girl,  uncle,  and  cannot  be  judged  by  common  rules." 

But  to  Ellen's  surprise  and  grief,  not  a  word  came  to 
relieve  the  anxiety  until,  when  June  came,  Mr.  Hastings 
determined  to  wait  no  longer,  but  proceed  to  St.  Louis  and 
at  once  institute  a  search  for  his  lost  child. 

He  had  visited  the  patriarch  several  times  and  tried  in- 
directly to  find  out  if  he  could  tell  him  aught  of  his  daugh- 


THE   RUSSIAN   EEFUGEE.  561 

ter,  but  the  aged  man  had  given  Elsie  a  similar  promise  to 
that  she  had  exacted  from  Ellen,  and  of  course  could  not 
fully  satisfy  the  eager  desires  of  the  troubled  parent,  but 
he  always  said  :  "  Trust  me,  my  dear  friend,  when  I  say  she 
is  safe.  I  know  this  by  a  peculiar  susceptibility  to  im- 
pressions which  relate  to  those  I  love.  There  is  a  stage 
which  we  can  arrive  at  when  our  souls  can  be  en  rapport — 
in  instantaneous  connection  with  the  souls  of  those  belong- 
ing to  our  spirit-sphere,  without  regard  to  distance.  I  feel 
that  your  child,  our  dear  daughter,  is  quite  safe  and  well." 

It  was  the  remembrance  of  these  words,  uttered  at  the 
last  visit  and  which,  unaccountably  to  himself,  profoundly 
impressed  and  consoled  the  owner  of  the  Hermitage,  that 
impelled  him,  almost,  to  seek  the  cave  again  before  starting 
for  the  West. 

The  ancient  man  was  sitting  with  his  eyes  closed  when 
the  visitor  entered  the  room,  and  did  not  open  them,  but 
said  quietly  and  without  rising : ' '  Sit  by  me,  my  son  ;  I  know 
why  you  have  sought  me.  Give  me  your  hand.  Our  dear 
one  has  been  in  great  peril  and  the  Dark  Angel  brooded 
with  wide-spread  wings  above  the  little  band,  but  deliver- 
ance has  come,  and  their  faces  are  set  southward  toward 
peace  and  safety. 

The  hearer  did  not  smile,  for  he  felt  that  if  sincerity  ever 
dwelt  in  human  breast,  it  was  here.  If  it  was  self-decep- 
tion, then  it  -was  guileless,  and  the  intent  and  faith  were 
equally  pure  and  worthy. 

"  Is  this  what  is  called  by  some  clairvoyance  ?  "  he  asked, 
presently. 

"Hardly  the  correct  name,  I  think,  for  it  is  not  exactly 
clear-seeing,  although  I  do  not  deny  that  almost  clear  vision 
may  come  to  some  of  earth's  sons,  but  they  have  numbered 
more  earth-years  than  I,  by  repeated  births.  For  'tis  the 
large  experience  of  several  lives  here,  under  varied  con- 
ditions, that  gives  one  this  power." 
36 


562  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

As  his  visitor  was  leaving  the  venerable  Russian  asked, 
"  What  hour  do  you  start  ?  " 

"  Where  ?  "  returned  Mr.  Hastings,  for  he  had  mentioned 
his  trip  as  yet  to  no  one. 

"To  seek  your  child.  But  tarry  a  couple  of  days,  and 
news  will  be  received  here  from  her  ;  a  letter  is  now  on  the 
road." 

Although  fully  intending  to  start  the  following  morning, 
yet  the  words  of  the  Exile  were  so  serious  that  he  decided 
to  remain  until  the  time  mentioned,  half  chiding  himself 
for  weak  credulity  in  doing  so.  But  the  prediction  was 
verified,  and  on  the  second  day  a  letter  came  to  Ellen 
Seaman. 

TUCSON,  N.  M.,  June  20,  18—. 

MY  DEAR  ELLEN  :  I  suppose  you  think  by  this  time  that  I  have 
forgotten  my  promise — you,  home,  father,  and  everything  else — 
and  I  don't  blame  ^ou ;  but  I  have  had  such  curious  experiences. 
I  must  try  and  give  you  some  outline  of  what  I  have  been  doing,  but 
details  must  be  left  until  we  meet,  which,  I  trust,  will  be  very  soon 
indeed,  for,  believe  me,  I  am  just  famishing  to  see  you  all.  But  first, 
let  me  beg  of  you  to  send  me  a  short  note  by  the  first  mail  after  re- 
ceiving this,  telling  me  how  you  all  are,  and  especially  how  our  old 
friend  is.  Send  two  notes,  one  to  this  place  and  one  to  St.  Louis, 
on  the  chance  that  I  may  get  one  of  them.  I  hardly  know  how  to 
begin  to  tell  you  what  I  have  been  through  since  writing  last.  I 
know  I  have  had  adventure  enough  to  last  me  a  lifetime. 

We  were  camped  a  few  miles  north  of  Santa  Fe,  I  told  you,  and 
preparing  to  start  in  the  direction  of  the  Gila  River,  hoping  to  hear 
tidings  of  the  object  of  our  search.  The  next  day  after  writing  we 
started  early,  being  mounted  on  Indian  ponies  selected  for  speed 
and  endurance,  each  of  us  carrying  a  rifle  and  good  revolver.  Don't 
be  too  much  startled,  my  dear  coz,  at  this  rather  manly  declaration. 
You  know  I  have  been  used  to  a  rifle  since  I  was  fifteen,  at  least  I 
heard  father  tell  you  so  one  day,  and  as  to  a  revolver,  I  can  kill  a 
sparrow  on  the  wing  at  twenty  paces.  Maunita  knew  little  about 
the  last  weapon,  though  a  fair  hand  with  the  rifle,  but  she  has  be- 
come almost  as  expert  as  myself  under  my  instruction.  Sangar  is  a 
good  shot,  and  Hiram  is  a  wonder.  1  have  seen  him  kill  a  bumble- 


THE  RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  563 

bee  as  far  off  as  it  could  be  distinguished,  but  then  he  has  sight  like 
a  telescope,  as  father  often  declared.  I  have  dwelt  upon  our  shoot- 
ing ability,  in  order  that  you  may  understand  better  what  follows. 

This  region  is  full  of  savage  Indians — the  Navajoes,  Comanches, 
Apaches,  and  Utahs  being  the  most  prominent.  They  are  wild  and 
predatory,  and  difficult  to  keep  in  subjection.  We  travelled  as 
rapidly  as  the  rugged  nature  of  the  country  admitted,  having  to 
climb  over  a  great  many  elevated  ridges,  following  obscure  trails, 
and  in  other  cases  making  our  way  carefully  through  canons,  in  im- 
minent danger  of  assault  by  the  roving  bands  of  red  men.  Fortu- 
nately we  only  encountered  small  parties,  who  were  civil  enough, 
seeing  how  well  armed  we  were,  and  also  largely  owing,  no  doubt,  to 
the  fact  that  Maunita  and  her  brother  spoke  their  language.  These 
young  Indians  have  been  a  treasure  to  us  ;  indeed,  I  question  if  your 
friend  would  be  in  the  flesh  to-day  but  for  their  fidelity  and  courage. 
Just  sufficiently  civilized  to  render  them  companionable,  they  yet 
have  the  wild  spirit  of  their  race,  and  the  hardihood  and  contempt 
for  danger  that  makes  them  thoroughly  enjoy  such  experiences  as 
the  traveller  through  these  regions  may  expect  as  daily  fare. 

The  third  day  from  leaving  Santa  Fe  had  arrived,  and  apart  from 
the  hardships  of  rough  travelling  we  felt  that  we  had  been  fortunate 
in  avoiding  serious  perils.  We  had  encamped  for  the  night  under 
the  shelter  of  a  bluff  which  rose  precipitously  to  a  height  of  two 
hundred  feet  or  so  from  the  small  plateau  on  which  we  rested.  Some 
hundreds  of  feet  away  there  was  another  dip  or  decline,  somewhat 
less  abruptly,  into  the  valley  below,  at  the  bottom  of  which  a  small 
stream  tossed  and  tumbled  noisily  on  its  way  to  the  great  Rio  Grande, 
of  which  it  was  one  of  the  numerous  feeders.  In  short,  we  were  on 
one  of  a  gigantic  flight  of  stairs  which  nature,  in  some  freak,  had 
built  on  the  face  of  this  wonderfully  diversified  region.  It  was  a 
good  camping  ground,  as  there  was  abundance  of  room  to  picket  our 
horses,  and  a  shelf -like  ledge  of  rock  cropping  out  from  the  cliff -face 
made  a  sort  of  roof  in  case  of  needed  shelter  from  the  elements. 
Hiram  insisted  from  the  start  that  we  dispense,  so  far  as  possible, 
with  fires. 

"  The  pesky  varmints'll  scent  smoke  fur  's  a  mile,"  and  as  he  said 
this  to  me  confidentially,  he  made  a  half  grimace  in  the  direction  of 
the  dusky  brother  and  sister  who  were  conversing  at  a  little  distance 
in  their  native  tongue.  For  the  trapper,  like  most  of  his  class  who 
have  seen  much  of  Indian  life  and  warfare,  has  anything  but  a  cordial 
regard  for  these  children  of  the  forest.  Nevertheless  the  ' '  Giraffe  " 


564  THE   EUSSIAN"   EEFUGEE. 

admitted  that  Maunita  was  "most  white"  in  some  things,  and  that 
the  other  one  he  guessed  might  do  if  he  was  well  watched. 

The  events  of  that  night  I  can  never  forget,  and  yet  they  have  left 
an  obscure,  confused  impression  on  my  mind.  I  was  suddenly 
aroused  by  a  quick  exclamation  from  Maunita :  "  Apaches — Apaches  ; " 
then  the  report  of  a  rifle  close  to  us.  This  was  succeeded  by  a  yell 
of  pain  and  rage  combined,  and  immediately  the  fearful  war-whoop 
burst  upon  the  night  air. 

A  warning  voice  said  :  "  Squat  low,  an'  mind  yer  don't  shoot  them 


We  two  girls  were  crouching  with  our  rifles  in  hand  awaiting  de- 
velopments, and  half  paralyzed,  I  must  confess,  for  the  moment 
with  fear,  and  at  Hiram's  words  fell  prone  on  our  faces.  Just  in 
time,  for  a  score  of  bullets  and  arrows  struck  the  rock  behind  us. 

"  Naow  bring  yer  weapons  an'  pick  yer  men,"  said  the  trapper,  and 
crawling  cautiously  forward,  we  sighted  hastily,  and  fired  at  some 
fleeing  forms  which  we  saw  in  the  dim  starlight.  The  cries  of  the 
wounded  ones — for  we  saw  two  drop  who  were  carried  off  by  their 
companions— I  acknowledge,  made  me  feel  sick  at  heart  for  the  mo- 
ment, but  we  had  to  defend  ourselves  and  our  horses,  and  it  was  the 
attempt  to  steal  the  animals  which  roused  the  watchful  Hiram.  The 
Indian  shot  by  Hiram  in  the  commencement  of  the  melee  had  actu- 
ally secured  one  of  the  horses,  and  was  sneaking  quietly  off  with  it, 
when  the  bullet  of  the  trapper  reached  him.  The  animal  at  once 
dashed  back  to  the  others  and  remained  quietly  until  caught  later  on. 
The  attempt  evidently  was  to  steal  the  horses,  and  then  they  knew 
we  should  be  at  their  mercy,  although  we  owed  our  escape  probably 
to  the  fact  that  the  Red  men  did  not  know  the  actual  size  of  our 
party.  If  they  had  suspected  for  a  moment  that  we  only  numbered 
four,  and  two  of  us  women,  I  fear  I  should  not  have  survived  to  tell 
you  this  story.  Of  course  there  was  no  more  slumber  for  us  that 
night,  although  the  foe  did  not  return. 

The  next  morning  we  were  up  and  ready  to  mount  before  day- 
light, but  Hiram  and  Sangar  decided  to  reconnoitre,  to  ascertain  if 
we  dare  venture  from  our  stronghold.  They  were  absent  an 
hour,  and  it  was  full  daylight  ere  they  returned.  Imagine  the  sus- 
pense of  us  poor  girls  !  To  our  dismay  the  scouts  reported  that  the 
Apaches  had  us  in  a  trap,  and  that  we  must  not  think  of  leaving  our 
present  position  that  day.  Having  plenty  of  ammunition  and  pro- 
visions for  the  present,  the  trapper  advised  holding  our  coign  of  van- 
tage until  there  was  some  diversion  in  our  favor. 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  565 

"Them  durned  critters  are  on  the  fight  'tween  'emselves,  an' 
maybe  ther'll  be  a  scatterin'  'fore  the  day's  gone.  Leastways  the 
pesky  varmints'll  hev  to  keep  their  own  side  o'  the  fence." 

Sangar  had  found  a  sort  of  cul  de  sac  or  natural  chamber  in  the 
mountain  side,  close  to  us,  in  which  the  horses  were  placed,  and  our 
position  was  such  that  the  foe  must  attack  from  either  side,  but  could 
not  approach  in  front  or  rear.  I  wish  I  could  give  you  an  idea  of 
Hiram.  He  looked  positively  terrific,  as  he  walked  up  and  down  with 
"Squeaking  Jim,"  as  he  terms  his  rifle,  in  his  hands,  watching  for  a 
"  pesky  varmint "  to  show  himself.  Our  young  Indian  couple  be- 
haved nobly,  albeit  a  little  afraid  of  being  taken  captive  by  their 
ancient  foes,  the  Apaches.  You  have  no  idea  of  the  deadly  hatred 
there  is  between  these  different  tribes.  Maunita,  half  civilized  as  she 
is,  would,  I  fear,  willingly  try  her  hand  at  scalping  an  Apache,  should 
opportunity  offer. 

Such  a  day  as  that  was  ;  every  hour  of  it  seems  burned  into  the  tab- 
let of  memory,  never  to  be  effaced.  There  was  fighting  going  on 
near  us,  for  we  heard  the  rifle  reports  now  and  then,  and  we  sincerely 
hoped  our  foes  of  the  night  before  were  being  soundly  thrashed. 
Our  intention  was  to  wait  until  dark,  and  then  try  and  work  our  way 
cautiously  through  the  defiles  and  passes  down  to  the  plateau  below, 
and  follow  the  course  of  the  stream  before  mentioned.  About  dusk 
Sangar  came  running  in  to  announce  that  a  large  party  of  braves  were 
coming  up  the  eastern  slope.  He  said  they  were  not  Apaches,  but 
Utes,  he  thought,  and  by  the  way  they  acted  he  concluded  they  did 
not  know  of  our  whereabouts,  and  possibly  were  not  the  antagonists 
of  the  night  before.  The  first  thought  was  to  defend  ourselves  at 
all  hazards,  for,  situated  as  we  were,  four  rifles  could  have  kept  an 
army  at  bay,  but  the  bloodshed  would  be  awful,  and  my  very  soul 
recoiled  from  it.  I  urged  that  Sangar  be  sent  to  open  negotiations 
with  these  new-comers,  if  he  was  satisfied  they  were  not  the  murder- 
ous Apaches,  and  ask  their  aid,  promising  a  large  reward  if  they 
would  help  us.  If  they  were  Apaches,  of  course  we  must  fight  to  the 
last,  for  after  the  work  of  the  previous  night  we  felt  they  would 
show  us  no  mercy. 

This  being  agreed  to,  Sangar  hurried  to  meet  them,  promising  to 
keep  himself  concealed  while  he  made  observations.  He  had  ob- 
served them  a  considerable  distance  away  and  had  warned  us  at  once. 
In  a  few  moments  the  young  Indian  returned  and  stated  that  the 
strangers  were  Navajoes,  and  that  on  calling  to  them  they  had  im- 
mediately made  him  prisoner,  but,  on  his  explaining  matters,  had  al- 


566  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

lowed  him  to  come  forward  and  inform  us  that  we  must  give  our- 
selves up  as  prisoners.  There  was  nothing  else  for  it,  and  so  we 
surrendered.  I  say  we,  but  that  only  meant  Maunita  and  myself,  as 
Hiram  had  mysteriously  disappeared. 

It  was  a  party  of  warriors  on  the  war  path,  pursuing  a  band  of 
Apaches  who  had  stolen  some  of  their  horses,  and  the  firing  we  had 
heard  had  been  a  skirmish  between  the  Navajoes  and  the  retreat- 
ing thieves,  the  same,  no  doubt,  that  had  tried  to  augment  their 
plunder  by  the  addition  of  our  horses  the  night  before,  but  in  which 
attempt  they  were  so  nicely  foiled.  Doubtless  they  mistook  our 
party  for  the  Navajoes,  and  so  retreated  into  the  very  arms  of  the 
pursuers.  They  treated  us  very  well,  partly  because  of  the  fight  that 
we  had  made  against  their  hereditary  foe,  for  it  seems  there  has  ex- 
isted a  feud  between  these  tribes  for  several  generations,  at  least  so 
the  chief  of  our  captors  told  me.  Sangar  and  Maunita  understood 
their  dialect  pretty  well,  and  so  acted  as  interpreters. 

Fortunately  our  new  friends  were  on  friendly  terms  with  the  Co- 
manches,  and  so  as  friends  and  relations  of  that  people  we  were  only 
held  in  a  sort  of  nominal  captivity,  until  they  came  to  the  Comancho 
country.  We  travelled  with  these  Navajoes  for  several  days,  using 
our  own  horses.  They  inquired  suspiciously  after  our  fourth  com- 
panion, and  we  allayed  their  doubts  by  saying  that  we  feared  the 
Apaches  had  captured  him.  This  was  Sangar's  explanation  ;  but  the 
fact  that  Hiram's  horse,  saddle,  and  bridle  disappeared  on  the  second 
night  after  our  capture,  made  me  doubt  if  the  Apaches  had  much  con- 
trol over  the  movements  of  the  brave  trapper.  The  theft  of  the 
horse  puzzled  our  Indian  friends  very  much,  as  the  animals  were  all 
together  close  to  the  camp.  Whatever  they  thought  they  said  noth- 
ing, but  kept  stricter  watch  on  our  movements  after,  I  thought. 
When  about  a  day's  ride  from  the  Comanche  village,  a  guard  of  six 
braves  was  detailed  to  accompany  us  to  the  place,  the  main  body  of 
the  Navajoes  going  south.  That  night  we  were  suddenly  surrounded, 
and  our  whole  party,  with  the  exception  of  two  Navajoes,  taken  pris- 
oners by  the  bloodthirsty  foe  we  had  so  much  dreaded. 

I  write  calmly  about  it  now,  but  no  pen  can  describe  my  sensations 
then.  These  repulsive-looking  creatures,  dancing  and  capering  around 
in  their  war  paint,  and  occasionally  emitting  that  .horrid  screech 
called  a  "war-whoop,"  suggested  pandemonium  and  these  beings 
looked  like  red  devils.  We  were  hurried  by  forced  marches  to  one 
of  their  villages,  which  we  reached  at  noon  of  next  day,  and  Maunita 
and  myself  were  given  over  to  the  squaws  for  safe  keeping.  I  need 


THE  RUSSIAN  REFUGEE.  567 

not  detail  our  captivity  of  four  days  among  these  people.  It  was 
dirty  and  tedious  enough.  What  became  of  the  captured  Navajoes 
we  never  knew,  for  they  were  separated  from  our  party.  Sangar  and 
Maunita  claimed  to  be  Ojibways  from  the  Reservation,  and  although 
the  wild  Indians  despise  these  peaceable  ones,  yet  they  were  doubt- 
less much  safer  than  if  they  had  owned  to  the  Comanche  blood  in 
their  veins.  Not  to  be  too  long  with  this  narrative,  I  must  hasten  to 
tell  you  of  our  rescue. 

On  the  evening  of  the  fourth  day  we  were  told  that  the  village  was 
to  be  abandoned  the  next  morning  and  that  we  must  be  ready  for  an 
early  start.  But  before  daylight  came  there  were  shouts  and  cries 
and  firing  of  guns,  and  we  concluded  of  course  there  was  another  at- 
tack by  Indians  and  rather  rejoiced  at  it,  Maunita  expressing  the 
belief  that  it  might  be  the  Comanches  to  the  rescue.  But  soon  we 
heard  shouting  in  English  and  the  words,  "Give  it  to  the  red  devils  ! 
Don't  spare  'em  !  "  reached  our  ears.  The  old  squaw  in  charge  of  us 
shook  me  roughly  by  the  shoulder  and  motioned  me  to  follow  her. 
I  refused,  inspired  by  the  voices  I  had  heard.  She  seized  a  toma- 
hawk, but  I  grasped  her  arm,  and  while  we  were  struggling  the  cloth 
hangings  before  the  door  was  torn  away  and  a  man  dressed  in  the  uni- 
form of  a  United  States  soldier  sprang  in.  The  squaw  gave  a  shriek 
and  fled,  while  I  turned  in  delight  to  greet  the  new-comer.  Judge 
of  my  amazement  when  I  met  the  gaze  of  the  intruder  fixed  upon 
me  with  open-eyed  astonishment. 

"  Mr.  Adolph  !  "  I  exclaimed  ;  "  or  am  I  dreaming  ?  "  for  certainly 
the  lost  one,  to  seek  whom  I  had  ventured  into  this  wild  country,  was 
before  me. 

"Thank  God,  we  are  in  time,  then.  Oh,  I  have  died  a  thousand 
deaths  in  thinking  of  your  peril,"  and  the  poor  fellow  wrung  my 
hand,  while  the  tears  flowed  down  his  cheeks.  He  was  so  overcome 
by  emotion  that  he  dropped  on  a  seat  near  and  covered  his  face  with 
his  hands. 

I  know  I  was  so  affected  by  this  unexpected  meeting  that  I  sobbed 
aloud.  I  had  passed  through  varied  perils  since  starting,  yet  noth- 
ing brought  to  my  eyes  what  are  called  woman's  solace — tears ; 
but  the  sight  of  this  familiar  face  brought  back  home  and  its  ten 
thousand  associations,  and  all  regrets,  hopes,  fears,  and  vexations 
seemed  to  concentrate  and  find  expression  in  a  hearty  cry.  I  expect 
Maunita  thought  white  folks  were  made  of  poor  stuff,  as  she  looked 
wonderingly  from  one  to  the  other.  But  of  course  this  emotion  or 
exhibition  of  weakness,  if  you  choose,  was  only  momentary.  Adolph 


068  THE   RUSSIAN   EEFUGEE. 

sprang  to  his  feet,  saying  with  his  old  smile  but  in  a  husky  voice, 
"  How  weak  I  am  ;  but  the  relief  after  the  tension  of  the  past  forty- 
eight  hours  of  dreadful  uncertainty  was  too  much  for  me.  Thank 
Heaven  we  got  the  start  of  the  savage  red-skins,  for  an  hour  hence 
would  have  been  too  late. " 

We  hurried  out  of  the  wigwam,  Maunita  following,  and  found  the 
village  occupied  by  Uncle  Sam's  Boys  in  Blue.  I  was  introduced  to 
Lieutenant  Strong,  who  commanded  the  detachment,  and  warmly 
congratulated  on  my  escape.  Maunita,  too,  was  kindly  received  by 
them.  Three  prisoners  only  had  been  taken,  and  in  fact  I  now  found 
that  a  number  of  the  warriors  had  left  the  village  before  the  attack 
was  made,  and  the  rest  had  made  a  precipitate  retreat  on  the  advent 
of  the  troops,  leaving  only  the  squaws  and  a  few  old  men  behind. 
One  of  the  prisoners  was  the  old  squaw  who  had  charge  of  us  and 
was  going  to  enforce  her  commands  with  the  tomahawk.  I  begged 
for  her  release,  as  generally  she  had  treated  us  pretty  well. 

"Don't  you  deceive  yourself,  Miss  Hastings,"  said  the  lieutenant, 
a  fine-looking  man  with  a  truly  military  bearing;  "they  had  some 
good  reason  for  their  forbearance,  or  this  same  old  she-devil  and  her 
female  aids  would  have  tortured  you  almost  to  death,  and  gloated 
over  your  sufferings.  I  haven't  been  in  these  parts  for  three  years 
without  knowing  the  true  nature  of  the  Apaches." 

Maunita,  who  understood  pretty  well  what  he  said,  translated  it 
to  the  old  hag,  no  doubt  with  additions  of  her  own,  and  seemed 
keenly  to  relish  the  look  of  alarm  that  for  an  instant  seemed  to  dis- 
turb the  apathy  of  the  morose -looking  prisoner. 

I  shuddered  to  think  what  a  fate  might  have  been  in  store  for  ua 
had  the  band  succeeded  in  carrying  us  off  to  Mexico,  as  Adolph  in- 
formed me  was  their  intention,  as  confessed  by  one  of  the  prisoners, 
a  large  part  of  the  tribe  being  across  the  national  line. 

"  We  should  have  followed  you,  of  course,  but  the  result  might 
not  have  been  so  satisfactory.  But  we  will  not  cloud  present  joy  by 
suppositions  which  no  longer  claim  attention.  We  hope  you  will 
accept  our  hospitality  at  the  fort  until  opportunity  offers  to  send  you 
safely  out  of  this  savage  country,"  remarked  Lieutenant  Strong. 

In  a  few  moments  we  were  in  the  saddle  en  route  for  Fort  Downing. 
Never  shall  I  forget  the  kindness  and  hospitality  we  were  shown  at 
Camp  Downing,  this  little  military  station  on  the  Gila  River,  but  I  can- 
not dwell  on  that  now.  You  want  to  know  how  we  were  rescued.  We 
owed  it  largely  to  that  faithful  fellow  Hiram.  I  must  tell  you  how. 

Hiram  managed  to  disappear,  I  don't  yet  know  how,   when  we 


THE  RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  569 

were  surprised  by  the  Xavajoes,  but  hung  upon  our  skirts,  so  to  speak, 
tmtil  we  were  captured  by  the  Apaches.  It  seems  about  this  time 
he  met  with  a  friendly  Indian  scout,  who  told  him  of  the  capture  of 
a  white  chief  some  two  months  since  by  the  Apaches,  and  that  he 
was  now  in  captivity  at  one  of  their  villages.  Half  sus;  ectiug  from 
the  description  that  it  might  be  Adolph  he  decided,  if  possible,  with 
the  aid  of  the  scout  to  effect  his  rescue  and  then,  if  his  suspicions 
proved  correct,  or  in  any  case,  with  the  aid  of  the  white  man,  to 
compass  our  escape.  The  attempt  was  successful,  and  the  captive 
was  spirited  away  one  dark  night,  and  proved  to  be  Adolph.  I  am 
told  that  Hiram  actually  entered  the  village  the  night  before  and  lo- 
cated the  wigwam  where  he  was  confined,  guarded  by  two  braves, 
and  contrived  in  some  way  to  signal  him  of  the  intended  rescue. 
They  were  pursued  by  the  Indians  almost  to  the  gates  of  the  fort, 
and  Hiram's  left  shoulder  received  a  bullet  wound  which  tempo- 
rarily disabled  his  arm. 

Captain  Gibson  immediately  decided  to  send  a  detachment  of  sol- 
diers with  Adolph  and  the  scouts  to  release  us  from  the  clutches  of 
the  cruel  Indians,  knowing  well  that  every  hour  increased  our  peril. 
It  was  delightful  to  see  faithful  Hiram  once  more.  He  and  the  In- 
dian scout  Arunutaker  had  been  sent  in  advance  to  watch  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Apaches  in  case  they  should  decide  to  remove  us  before 
the  troops  arrived.  They  returned  to  Camp  Downing  about  two 
hours  after  we  arrived,  and  our  meeting  was  a  sort  of  jubilee,  I  can 
assure  you.  The  old  trapper  seemed  for  once  unable  to  find  words 
to  express  his  joy.  The  next  morning,  in  spite  of  the  warmest  invi- 
tations to  remain  and  recruit,  we  were  in  the  saddle  and  on  the  way 
to  Tucson,  where  it  was  necessary  for  Adolph  to  report  before  he 
left  for  home.  A  strong,  well-mounted  party  of  soldiers  escorted  us, 
and  we  reached  that  town  late  in  the  evening  of  the  same  day. 
Adolph  was  wild  to  see  his  father,  and  I  was  as  anxious  as  he  to  be 
on  the  road.  Heaven  grant  that  nothing  may  have  happened  to  mar 
the  pleasure  of  reaching  home,  which  we  hope  for  soon.  This  is  a 
rare  old  Spanish  town,  and  I  would  like  to  spend  a  week  or  month 
here  instead  of  three  days,  which  time  was  absolutely  necessary  to 
remain  in  order  to  take  advantage  of  the  opportunity  of  accompany- 
ing a  body  of  troops  which  leave  here  for  St.  Louis  to-morrow. 

Hoping  this  will  reach  you  speedily,  and  that  it  will  soon  be  fol- 
lowed by  the  writer  and  friends,  I  remain  as  ever, 

Your  loving  sister  and  cousin, 

ELSIE  HASTINGS. 


570  THE  RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

P.  S. — Read  this  to  father,  won't  you,  and  explain  everything  to 
him,  please  ?  I  feel  dreadfully  sometimes  to  think  how  unkind  my 
action  must  appear  to  him.  I  would  not  for  worlds  that  he  should 
suppose  that  I  felt  I  could  not  trust  him.  But  I  was  acting  from  a 
sudden  impulse  and  with  a  faith  in  my  ultimate  success,  and  it  was 
impossible  I  could  have  made  him  see  it  as  it  appeared  to  me.  I 
felt  that  his  cool  judgment  would  have  disapproved  the  undertak- 
ing, and  his  affection  positively  forbidden  it.  Then  I  should  have 
been  faced  by  two  alternatives — disobey  one  that  I  loved  and  revered, 
and  whose  wish  had  always  governed  my  actions,  or  else  go  contrary 
to  the  imperious  voice  within  urging  immediate  action,  a  voice 
which  my  best  intuitions  told  me  was  duty's  call — and  so  be  wretched. 
I  know  my  action  must  have  the  appearance  of  being  wild  and  Quix- 
otic, but  I  had  to  do  it.  Do  try  and  make  my  father  see  it  in  this 
light.  Remember  I  am  both  son  and  daughter  to  him,  as  he  had  no 
sou,  and  what  might  excite  his  anger  or  vex  him  as  done  by  a  daugh- 
ter, he  must  forgive  as  done  by  a  son.  But  you  know  what  I  would 
say,  and  kiss  him  for  me.  E.  H. 

If  Mr.  Hastings  was  hurt  before  by  his  daughter's  want 
of  confidence,  Ellen  could  not  positively  say,  but  this  let- 
ter seemed  to  clear  away  the  clouds. 

"My  poor  motherless  girl !  "  he  said.  "It  is  so  like  her. 
She  is  half  a  boy  in  her  instincts,  but  it  was  a  terrible  peril 
to  run.  Thank  God  she  has  escaped  so  far.  I  shall  start 
at  once  for  St.  Louis,  to  meet  her  there." 


CHAPTER  XLIX. 
HOME  AGAIN. 

ELLEN  SEAMAN  was  as  restless  as  a  caged  linnet,  all  alone 
in  the  Hermitage  with  the  servants,  listening  for  every 
sound  which  might  seem  to  intimate  the  approach  of  the 
proprietor  of  the  mansion  and  its  young  mistress.  She 
flitted  to  and  fro  between  the  library  and  the  hall  door, 
varying  the  exercise  by  an  occasional  visit  to  the  garden, 
from  one  point  in  which,  by  an  opening  in  the  shrubbery,  a 
glimpse  of  the  road  could  be  caught.  She  had  received  a 
note  from  Elsie  the  evening  previous,  asking  her  to  meet 
them  at  the  Hermitage. 

Mr.  Hastings  had  reached  St.  Louis  before  his  daughter 
arrived  there,  and  so  he  and  Mr.  Grace,  with  a  trusty  guide, 
had  started  out  on  horseback  to  meet  the  party.  The 
meeting  took  place  about  seventy  miles  from  the  city,  on 
the  evening  of  the  second  day. 

Elsie's  surprise  and  delight  at  seeing  her  parent  were 
unbounded,  and  their  differences,  if  any  could  be  said  to 
exist,  were  soon  adjusted. 

"  Elsie,  if  such  a  mad  impulse  ever  takes  you  again,  don't 
conceal  it  from  your  father.  Believe  me,  I  shall  either  aid 
you  to  carry  out  your  wishes  or  go  for  you.  You  cannot 
tell  what  I  have  suffered  during  these  weeks." 

No  words  of  reproach  other  than  these  escaped  him,  and 
Elsie  felt  that  her  beloved  parent  had  fully  pardoned  what 
she  had  not  quite  forgiven  herself.  However,  as  we  say 
philosophically  in  this  world  of  doubt  and  obscurity,  "  All's 
well  that  ends  well." 


572  THE   RUSSIAN   EEFUGEE. 

"  Your  father  is  an  angel,  my  dear,  to  overlook  such  a 
thing,"  said  the  rather  severe  but  really  kind  Aunt  Grace, 
"  and  I  told  William  I  never  could  quite  forgive  him  for 
helping  you  in  such  a  wild-goose  chase,  but  I  suppose  I 
must  forgive  too,  since  your  father  has  set  such  a  good 
example." 

The  Graces  could  not  persuade  them  to  stay  longer  than 
a  night,  for  time  pressed,  at  least  two  of  the  party  feeling, 
as  by  a  common  instinct,  that  the  sooner  the  journey  was 
accomplished  the  better. 

And  here  they  were  at  last — and  how  the  dear  old  home 
loomed  up  before  them  as  they  rolled  rapidly  up  the  av- 
enue !  Why,  Elsie  thought,  the  old  house  almost  wore  a 
smile  of  welcome  on  its  quaint  and  antique  face.  Perhaps 
the  smiles  were  reflected  from  the  human  faces  which 
greeted  the  wanderers  on  the  steps  of  the  veranda. 

"  Oh,  Ellen,  my  dear  girl,  how  is  every  bit  of  you  ?  How 
good  it  is  to  be  home  again  !  "  A  warm  welcome  indeed, 
even  Hugo  taking  part  with  joyful  face  and  eloquent  tail. 

"Why,  Elsie,  my  dear,  it  seems  almost  worth  while  to 
go  away,  even  to  hunt  Indians'  scalps,"  said  Mr.  Hastings, 
the  last  clause  of  the  sentence  being  in  a  significantly  low 
tone,  and  with  a  meaning  smile,  to  his  daughter,  "  to  re- 
ceive such  a  welcome  home  as  this." 

Elsie  blushed,  saying,  "  Almost,"  and  then  turning  to 
Ellen,  eagerly  asked,  "  And  how  is ?  " 

"Very  weak,  but  bright  as  ever,  and  eagerly  looking  for 
your  return,"  was  the  answer,  before  the  name  had  left 
Elsie's  lips. 

Adolph  had  left  his  companions  at  Melville  in  company 
with  Hiram,  in  order  to  reach  his  cave  home  by  the  short- 
est cut. 

Ellen  had  contrived  to  call  at  Gretchen's  cottage  every 
few  days,  by  this  means  keeping  informed  of  the  condition 
of  the  aged  friend.  The  jovial  Dutchwoman  had  grown  to 


THE  RUSSIAN  REFUGEE.  573 

love  the  gentle  English  girl  with  her  quiet  womanly  ways, 
and  was  delighted  to  find  a  sympathetic  ear  into  which  she 
could  pour  her  hopes  and  fears  concerning  Adolph  and 
Elsie.  These  hopes  and  fears,  and  woes  and  joys,  done  up 
in  a  batter  of  rather  mixed  English  and  Dutch,  were  an  un- 
ending source  of  amusement  to  the  -visitor,  and  almost  as 
much  so  to  the  doctor,  who  received  them  second-hand. 

At  parting,  Adolph  had  promised  to  send  a  note  that 
day  to  announce  the  condition  of  the  Exile  and  notify  Elsie 
when  to  come,  for  she  was  eager  to  visit  this  ancient  child 
of  earth  whose  feet  she  felt  must  so  soon  press  the  golden 
sands  of  the  eternal  shore. 

During  the  afternoon  the  doctor  came  in,  and  Elsie's  ad- 
ventures were  related  to  his  wondering  ears. 

"  Why,  what  an  Amazon  you  are,  Cousin  Elsie  !  I  shall 
write  to  his  Royal  Highness  the  King  of  Dahomey  at  once 
to  ask  if  he  has  a  vacancy  in  his  body-guard." 

"  For  shame,  you  monster  medicine-man !  I'm  not  an 
Amazon,  and  I  sha'n't  go  to  Africa  just  yet  New  Mexico's 
enough  for  me." 

"  There  now,  I've  roused  her  Indian  blood — please  don't 
scalp  me,"  said  Seaman,  comically,  holding  on  to  his  hair  as 
he  edged  toward  the  door. 

It  was  an  afternoon  of  recital  and  asking  and  answering 
questions.  Of  course,  the  young  mistress  of  the  mansion 
had  to  endure  a  good  deal  of  playful  badinage  about  the 
maiden-errant  going  to  rescue  the  captive  young  knight, 
but  being  home  again  and  safe,  and  the  object  accom- 
plished, paid  for  all 

Ellen  had  been  particularly  interested  in  the  Indian 
brother  and  sister,  and  pleased  to  hear  that  they  found 
some  of  their  relatives  near  Tucson  with  whom  Sangar  de- 
cided to  remain  for  a  few  weeks,  but  Maunita  had  become 
so  attached  to  Elsie  that  she  insisted  on  returning  with  her 
to  St.  Louis,  whence  Mr.  Grace  forwarded  her  to  the  reser- 


574  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

vation.  "I  was  most  interested  in  her,  and  hated  to  part 
from  her.  I  wish  you  could  have  seen  her,  Ellen,  with 
those  marvellous  black  eyes  and  that  quiet  face,  lighted  up 
occasionally  with  the  fierce  flames  of  the  slumbering  Co- 
rn anche  fire." 

"I  wonder  she  didn't  eat  you  in  one  of  those  outbreaks 
of  the  Comanche  spirit.  I'd  as  soon  have  a  tame  streak  of 
lightning  for  a  companion,"  remarked  Warren. 

"  Indians  are  not  cannibals,  sir,  and  Maunita  is  a  very 
noble  girl,  if  she  is  a  Comanche,"  returned  his  cousin. 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  understand — a  very  nice  girl,  I  don't  doubt, 
only  with  an  irresistible  inclination  to  seek  satisfaction  at 
head-quarters — a  sort  of  scalp  affection.  Yes." 


CHAPTER  L. 

SUNSET  GLORIES. 

THE  golden  glory  of  the  sunset  lights  up  the  eastern 
skies  and  anticipates  the  brightness  of  the  dawning !  Late 
in  the  evening  came  a  note  to  Elsie.  ' 

MY  DEAR  FRIEND  :— Father  is  gradually  fading  from  earth. 
Probably  he  will  not  be  with  us  beyond  to-morrow.  Pray  come  early 
in  the  morning,  with  your  dear  father,  and  for  his  last  day  give  him 
the  joy  which  your  presence  always  brings. 

ADOLPH  K. 

And  the  little  group  were  now  gathered  around  the 
couch  of  the  aged  one  who  was  so  soon  to  pass  from  mortal 
sight. 

Elsie  at  first  thought  that  perhaps  she  had  been  unneces- 
sarily anxious,  so  little  change  did  she  see  in  the  beloved 
old  man.  But  a  little  later  the  feeling  returned  that  the 
end  was  very  near.  There  was  no  marked  emaciation,  no 
special  signs  of  wasting,  but  a  certain  delicacy  and  fragility, 
and  an  indescribable  lessening  of  the  whole  form,  as  if  the 
wings  were  being  folded  and  the  ruffled  plumage  smoothed 
— a  sort  of  symmetrical  contracting  or  shrinking  of  the  phys- 
ical frame.  But  the  same  bright  smile  and  clear  eye,  the 
same  genial,  kind  presence,  greeted  her  that  had  so  im- 
pressed her  at  their  first  meeting  nearly  two  years  before. 

The  Patriarch  was  reclining,  dressed  as  usual,  on  his 
couch  of  skins,  near  the  great  opening  overhanging  the 
ravine  below,  now  full  to  repletion  with  the  exuberant 


576  THE  EUSSIAN   EEFUGEE. 

wealth  of  summer.  Here  lie  had  spent  most  of  his  time 
during  the  past  weeks,  regarding  with  pleased,  intelligent 
eyes  Nature's  kaleidoscopic  changes  and  daily  growing- 
beauty.  The  Exile  had  been  lying  for  some  moments  with 
closed  eyes,  his  right  hand  fondly  clasped  in  that  of  his 
son,  when  Elsie  entered  with  her  father. 

"The  dear  daughter  is  here  ;  I  feel  her  presence.  Wel- 
come, my  child,"  and  opening  his  eyes,  he  with  sudden 
strength  sat  up  on  the  couch. 

Elsie  was  deeply  affected,  and  her  tears  flowed  freely. 
The  clasp  of  the  hand,  the  deep,  unspoken  language  of  tho 
eyes,  showed  the  responsive  joy  and  feeling  excited  in  this 
aged  bosom  as  she  pressed  her  lips  to  his  forehead. 

But  when  the  unfathomable  serenity  of  the  larger  life 
falls  upon  the  spirit,  and  the  eternal  calm,  flowing  through 
the  opening  gates,  bathes  the  soul,  emotion,  passion,  is 
no  longer  possible.  The  mortal  is  in  abeyance,  the  im- 
mortal part  rises  above  the  agitations  of  the  lower  life  even 
as  a  bird  of  dawn  rises,  clearing  the  murky  damps  and 
vapors,  and  from  on  high  looks  down  on  the  mists  below, 
itself  bathed  in  the  sunlight  and  inhaling  the  air  of  the  new 
day — of  earth,  and  yet  above  earth,  between  two  worlds. 
Oh,  wondrous  moment !  supernal  vision  ! 

"  My  dearest  child,"  he  said,  fondly,  but  there  was  no  ex- 
citement in  the  tone,  only  a  very  tender  something  that 
went  right  to  her  heart,  "  how  I  have  longed  to  behold 
you  again  is  only  known  to  the  All-seeing  One.  You  have 
come  through  hardships  and  perils,  bravely  and  unself- 
ishly encountered,  in  order  to  crown  and  bless  my  last 
hours.  I  owe  it  to  yon,  my  daughter,  that  my  eyes  are 
privileged  to  see  once  more  my  child,  whose  presence  has 
cheered  and  sustained  me  through  these  many  years. 
Your  dear  father,  too,  is  with  us.  Mr.  Hastings,  I  owe  you  a 
great  debt,  for  anxiety  and  suffering  endured  through  your 
daughter's  self-sacrificing  efforts  on  my  behalf." 


THE  RUSSIAN  REFUGEE.  577 

Holding  a  hand  of  each,  so  the  ancient  man  spoke,  and 
then  asked  that  he  be  propped  up,  and  that  all  should  seat 
themselves. 

"  My  last  day  on  earth,"  he  said,  smiling  at  them  cheerily — 
"  at  least  for  a  time.  But  'tis  not  sad  to  me  to  pass  through 
this  shadowed  portal,  which  admits  to  other  life  and  fuller 
being.  Nay,  I  rather  rejoice  I  have  had  so  much  of  earth. 
And  as  the  mists  clear  away,  as  we  know  they  do  when  the 
sun  is  rising — and  the  sun  is  now  rising  for  me,  and  flooding 
all  my  being  with  his  glory — the  memory  of  two  former  and 
similar  experiences  comes  to  me.  Yes,  dear  ones,  I  have 
died  to  earth  before.  But  on  each  occasion,  as  I  was 
ushered  into  the  'beyond,'  the  portal  of  human  life  re- 
opened and  admitted  me  again  into  the  family  of  man. 
Through  all  my  career  I  have  had  a  dim  consciousness  and 
confused  memory  of  these  things,  but  now  they  come  out 
clearly,  as  bluffs  and  headlands  come  out  of  the  mass  of 
vapor  which  before  obscured  the  eye  of  the  mariner  gazing 
at  the  coast  line  giving  rude  suggestive  outlines  of  the 
reality." 

"Father,"  said  Elsie,  gently,  as  the  old  man  paused, 
"  does  not  talking  weary  you,  and  exhaust  your  strength?" 

"No,  my  dear,  I  have  only  so  much  strength,  and  it  will 
last  me  to  the  end.  But  your  voice  brings  back  to  me  those 
pictures  which  have  been  so  constantly  with  me  during 
your  absence.  Let  me  describe  some  of  them." 

And  to  her  astonishment  the  dying  man  clearly  and 
graphically  sketched  the  principal  events  of  her  experiences 
in  New  Mexico.  Beginning  at  her  uncle's,  he  rapidly  traced 
in  outline  the  successive  happenings  of  the  journey  until  the 
meeting  with  his  son.  Then  he  sketched  the  old  town  of 
Tucson  with  more  minuteness  than  she  could  have  done, 
although  speaking  of  nothing  but  what  she  remembered 
seeing. 

At  first  she  thought  Adolph  had  informed  his  father,  and 
37 


578  THE   KUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

that  these  were  the  floating  images  of  that  conversation, 
but  the  younger  Kussian  met  her  inquiring  glance  by 
shaking  his  head  negatively,  and  the  ancient  speaker,  whose 
eyes  were  closed,  answered  her  thought  at  once  by  saying, 
"No,  my  child,  Adolph  and  I  have  not  spoken  of  your 
journey  in  detail.  I  saw  these  things,  and  knew  of  your 
trials." 

After  a  few  moments  of  silence  Mr.  Hastings  asked  the 
aged  Russian  :  "  Might  not  a  skilful  physician  aid  you  ?  I 
do  wish  you  would  let  me  remove  you  to  the  Hermitage 
and  then  we  could  have  medical  advice.  We  could  move 
you  almost  without  your  knowing  it." 

Elsie  looked  up  wistfully,  but  felt  at  once  that  the  Pa- 
triarch would  not  consent  to  it. 

A  smile  played  over  his  features  as  he  lay  with  eyes 
closed,  and  Elsie  noticed  that  the  face  only  hinted  his 
extreme  age  when  the  brilliant  eyes  were  hidden.  No 
sign  of  a  century  of  years  in  them.  Those  piercing  orbs 
seemed  to  have  entered  on  a  new  lease  of  youth,  and  won- 
derfully lighted  up  and  relieved  the  face. 

"Alas,  my  son,  where  is  the  physician  that  can  cure 
the  disease  of  time— old  age,  for  I  have  no  other  ailment  ? 
I  have  lived  in  this  curious  dwelling  of  nature's  own 
architecture  for  over  half  a  century,  and  here  I  can  finish 
my  earth-race.  I  shall  pass  away  with  the  sunset ;  I  shall 
go  from  the  land  of  shadows  to  the  land  of  light.  This 
body  has  served  me  admirably,  but  it  has  lost  its  elasticity 
and  its  vigor  has  departed.  The  mind  is  strong,  or  stronger 
than  ever,  but  can  no  longer  compel  its  servant  to  obedience. 
When  the  machinery  is  worn  out,  what  avails  the  power  that 
worked  through  and  by  it  ?  But  you  must  have  questions  to 
ask  concerning  the  strange  opinions  you  have  heard  me  ex- 
press from  time  to  time.  Fear  not  to  fatigue  me  ;  on  the 
contrary,  it  will  stimulate  what  power  I  have.  Let  me  live 
while  I  live  ;  when  eventide  comes  I  shall  sleep.  One  ques- 


THE   EUSSIAK   REFUGEE.  579 

tion  I  anticipate  for  you,  Elsie  ;  you  half  asked  it  before— 
bow,  if  my  belief  is  true,  the  soul  is  guided  in  its  re-entrance 
into  this  life.  Is  that  your  question,  my  child?  " 

She  admitted  that  it  was  what  she  had  in  mind. 

"  It  is  guided,  dear  one,  precisely  as  it  is  guided  here. 
Everything  within  the  range  of  life,  and  indeed  in  some 
sense  without  this  range,  is  governed  by  the  law  of  demand 
and  supply,  of  hunger  and  satisfaction.  Every  thing  having 
a  need  gravitates  toward  that  which  can  satisfy  that  need. 
'Tis  the  secret  of  society,  friendship,  love,  life.  So  the  soul, 
freed  from  the  flesh,  seeks  the  channel  of  rebirth  which 
offers  satisfaction  for  its  most  pressing  need.  This  bent, 
or  hunger,  or  instinct  guides  it  as  unerringly  back  to  earth 
and  to  the  particular  earth-channel,  which  promises  satis- 
faction, as  the  something  within  the  tiny  form  of  the  bee 
guides  it  to  the  honey  flower  and  back  to  the  hive  after 
miles  of  unheeded  wandering.  Souls  find  themselves  there, 
because  the  there  only  could  furnish  what  is  needed  for 
their  onward  growth.  No  matter  how  hindered  and  ob- 
structed, they  will  yet  reach  the  fountain  yielding  the 
crystal  water  which  alone  can  slake  their  burning  thirst. 
Many  lose  all  interest  in  life,  and  say  they  have  had  enough 
of  earth,  when  they  are  famished,  but  the  distaste  for  this 
world  arises  from  failure  to  find  the  food  which  only  can 
nourish  them.  Hence  the  eager  joy  with  which  so  many 
leave  this  state  of  being  to  go  to  heaven,  as  they  term  it, 
when  the  heaven  they  seek  unknowingly  is  here,  and  will 
be  theirs  in  the  satisfaction  which  comes  upon  rebirth 
here,  in  finding  the  food  to  cure  the  hunger  which  possessed 
them.  Many  born  in  wealth  and  reared  in  luxury  starve 
amid  plenty,  and  leave  this  life  dwarfed  and  shrunken,  who 
by  rebirth  in  peasant  home  and  amid  poverty  may  expand 
and  grow  to  giant  manhood  and  larger  scope  of  spirit 
development." 

In  answer  to  a  question  he  said  :  "  Undoubtedly  spirits 


580  THE  RUSSIAN   EEFUGEE. 

who  have  done  with  earth  can  return  here  if  their  presence 
is  necessary  to  the  uplifting  of  any  child  of  Time.  '  All 
things  work  together  for  good  to  them  who  love  good' 
comes  from  elder  days,  and  certainly,  if  anyone  requires  a 
service  which  I  can  best  render,  I  shall  be  there  to  render 
it.  The  whole  universe  is  a  unit  to  fulfil  divine  behests. 
Thousands  of  whispers  from  the  unseen  sphere  have  reached 
me,  and  such  come  to  all  if  they  would  heed  and  attune 
their  hearts  aright.  This  life  is  nothing  but  the  projected 
tangible  expression  of  the  other  and  higher  life  visible  to 
mortal  eyes  not  yet  developed  to  gaze  intelligently  upon 
that  other  state.  This  world  is  but  the  thought  of  God 
made  manifest  to  humanity,  even  as  speech  is  thought  in 
form  appreciated  by  the  sense  of  hearing." 

He  insisted  on  the  table  being  spread  and  dinner  partaken 
of  by  the  visitors  and  family  in  the  room  where  he  lay,  say- 
ing their  presence  was  a  comfort,  and  as  it  was  his  last 
day,  they  must  gratify  him.  During  the  afternoon  he 
seemed  to  sleep  at  times,  but  promptly  answered  when 
spoken  to,  even  in  a  low  tone.  His  great  age  had  not  im- 
paired his  hearing  or  vision  a  particle. 

Mr.  Hastings  was  compelled  to  leave  about  four  o'clock, 
promising  to  return  for  his  daughter  in  the  evening. 

"  Farewell,  my  son.  If  I  have  become  only  a  memory  to 
you  when  you  return,  may  that  memory  be  an  influence  for 
your  good  until  we  meet  in  other  form  amid  different  con- 
ditions," said  the  aged  invalid  tenderly. 

"  My  dear  sir,  I  trust  we  shall  have  you  with  us  a  little 
longer  than  you  seem  to  think,"  returned  the  other,  his 
voice  husky  in  spite  of  himself.  "You  have  indeed  been 
an  influence  to  me  and  mine  for  good  ever  since  I  have 
known  you,  and  I  profoundly  regret  that  we  did  not  know 
of  your  existence,  so  close  to  us,  earlier.  Believe  me,  I  am 
sincerely  grateful  to  you  for  all  you  have  done  for  us.  Can 
I  be  of  any  service  in  any  way  I  shall  be  more  than  glad." 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  581 

The  Patriarch  clasped  the  hand  of  the  speaker  warmly, 
saying,  "  Providence  has  permitted  us  to  be  of  mutual  bene- 
fit to  each  other,  but  so  much  sunshine  came  into  my  life 
with  your  dear  child  that  my  poor  services  are  lost  in  the 
brightness.  I  know  what  you  both  have  suffered  to  give 
me  back  my  son  to  bless  my  dying  eyes.  I  do  not  forget 
here,  nor  shall  I  there.  As  a  last  favor,  please  act  with  my 
boy  in  arranging  matters.  Your  counsel  will  be  invaluable 
to  him.  Familiar  scenes  must  have  a  powerful  attraction  for 
those  in  the  higher  life.  You  have  my  old  home.  I  shall 
visit  you  there." 

Hiram,  his  arm  still  in  a  sling,  called  later  on  to  see  the 
old  Chief. 

"  My  faithful  friend,  brave  and  true  jo\i  have  ever  been 
found  by  me.  I  know  what  you  have  done  and  suffered. 
If  I  have  any  regret  in  leaving  this  earth-life,  it  is  because  I 
have  to  be  parted  from  such  friends.  Fidelity  and  cour- 
age, what  a  grand  foundation  to  build  on !  Earth  has 
much  to  teach  you  yet,  Hiram,  and  your  probation  may  be 
long,  but  this  rugged  integrity  is  a  splendid  basis,  and  one 
or  two  hundred  years  hence  you  will  have  developed  a 
manhood  which  in  its  many-sided  excellence  will  bless  the 
world." 

The  "  Giraffe  "  shifted  his  weight  uneasily  from  one  foot 
to  another,  and  the  tears  filled  his  honest  eyes,  as  he  tried 
to  express  himself.  "  Naow,  Chief,  yer  know  a  heap,  but 
I  sorter  guess  yer  out  on  my  tether.  No  hunderd  years  to 
come  on  my  shollers,  I  reckon  not.  Hunderd  years  !" 
said  the  trapper,  as  if  calculating  mentally.  "  No,  no,  Chief, 
not  for  this  critter.  Durn  me — beg  pardin,  Chief — but 
Gretchen'd  be  gone,  an'  Squeaking  Jim'd  be  used  up,  an' 
the  eyes'd  give  out,  an'  couldn't  see  ter  set  the  traps.  No, 
thankee,  Chief,  no  hunderd  years  for  me." 

Then  the  thought  seemed  to  come  to  him  that  the  part- 
ing hour  was  near,  and  that  he  must  really  say  good-by  to 


582  THE   KUSSIAN  REFUGEE. 

one  he  had  known  and,  in  his  rude,  honest  way,  served  so 
many  years ;  and  taking  the  pale  hand  of  the  dying  man 
in  his  great  one,  he  raised  it  reverently  to  his  lips,  and 
without  a  word  or  look  to  anyone  turned  and  left  the  room, 
something  like  a  suppressed  sob  alone  reaching  the  ear  to 
give  indication  of  the  deep  feeling  that  shook  the  rugged 
frame. 

"  The  old  Exile  lay  gazing  at  the  glory  of  the  western 
heavens  painted  by  the  setting  sun,  for  the  cave  opening 
was  toward  the  west,  and  the  sight  seemed  to  give  him 
pleasure,  for  a  half  smile  illumined  his  face  and  words  of 
admiration  from  time  to  time  escaped  his  lips.  At  length 
he  said,  feebly,  "  Give  me  your  hands,  my  children,"  and 
Adolph  and  Elsie,  standing  on  opposite  sides,  clasped  his 
hands. 

"  Elsie,  my  dear  child,  Adolph  has  something  to  tell  you 
when  I  am  no  longer  with  you.  You  promise  me,  my  son  ?  " 

The  younger  Eussian  bowed  his  head  assentingly,  and 
yet,  as  Elsie  perceived,  with  a  slightly  troubled  look,  as  if 
the  promise  cost  him  something. 

"Elsie,  you  will,  I  know,  deal  frankly  and  truthfully 
with  him,  and  kindly  and  wisely  too,  for  'tis  not  in  you  to 
be  otherwise.  I  have  promised  him  this,  my  dear  one,  on 
your  behalf,  yet  though  I  know  your  heart,  circumstances 
may  control  and  duty  forbid,  but  we  will  not  anticipate. 
Nadia,  Sophie,  Ivan,  farewell.  The  great  change  is  already 
on  me,  the  shadows  of  transition  environ  me,  but  these 
are  but  the  dulness  of  the  here  in  contrast  with  the  bright- 
ness of  the  there.  Elsie,  you  will  care  for  these  friends  and 
this  little  one,  who  have  cared  for  and  brightened  the  path- 
way of  the  old  man  during  these  latter  years  ?  "  This  was 
said  almost  beseechingly. 

"  I  will  indeed,  dear  father  ;  trust  me." 

"  I  know  it,  but  I  half  feared  to  leave  them  in  a  strange 
country  alone,  and  I  away— so  far  away,  perhaps." 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  583 

He  rested  quietly  for  a  few  moments,  as  the  last  faint 
glimmers  of  the  sunset  yet  lingered  about  the  cave  mouth. 

"My  son,  my  twice-born  child,  it  is  hard  to  part  from 
you,  but  voices  from  beyond,  oh,  so  many  voices,  summon 
me  away.  You  cannot  hear  them,  but  I  do.  And  now 
their  faces  begin  to  show  on  the  other  shore,  and  their 
beckoning  fingers  gleam  brightly  as  they  urge  me  to  hasten. 
Where  am  I  ?  "  he  said,  suddenly  opening  his  eyes  and 
gazing  lovingly  in  turn  on  each  one.  "A  last  kiss,  my 
children." 

Each  in  turn  imprinted  a  kiss  upon  the  placid  face, 
almost  cold  now,  as  from  the  breath  of  the  "  Messenger " 
falling  upon  it.  The  eyes  closed,  and  a  stillness,  broken 
only  by  stifled  sobs,  fell  on  all  Then  again  the  eyes 
opened  widely,  filled  with  a  wondrous  light,  the  light  of 
eternity !  The  sun  had  risen  on  the  hills  of  God. 


CHAPTEK  LI. 

THE  FINAL  TESTAMENT. 

THE  next  morning  Mr.  Hastings,  who  had  reached  the 
cave  a  few  moments  after  the  aged  man  had  passed  away, 
and  brought  his  daughter  home  much  prostrated  by  the 
sad  scene,  said  quietly  to  her  at  breakfast:  "Elsie,  I  shall 
go  this  morning  to  arrange  about  matters  with  Mr.  Adolph. 
This  and  your  late  experiences  have  been  very  trying  to 
you,  so  I  wish  that  you  would  remain  at  home  and  rest,  for 
we  must  not  have  you  sick  again." 

Elsie  was  standing  in  the  bay-window  looking  toward 
the  avenue,  and  at  this  moment  saw  a  horseman  coming. 

"Father,  here  is  Mr.  Adolph,  I  think,  coming  now,"  and 
the  next  moment  the  gentleman  had  reached  the  door  and 
dismounted. 

"  I  must  ask  pardon  for  intruding  so  early,  but  I  felt  that 
I  must  consult  with  you  at  once."  He  was  very  pale  and 
showed  the  effects  of  grief  and  a  sleepless  night.  "  I  have 
brought  my  father's  will."  His  voice  faltered  badly,  but  he 
went  on  bravely,  "As  I  think  he  intimated  to  you,  Mr. 
Hastings,  you  are  appointed  executor  jointly  with  myself. 
You  will  not,  I  trust,  feel  this  a  burden.  I  know  it  is  asking 
much  of  you,  but  father  had  such  faith  in  you,  and  con- 
fidence in  your  judgment." 

"I  shall  be  more  than  glad,  my  friend,  to  aid  in  any  way 
at  this  sad  time.  My  obligation  to  your  dear  father  is 
such  that  I  shall  be  delighted  to  lighten  it  even  in  a  small 
degree." 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  585 

"  Please  don't  mention  obligation,  Mr.  Hastings.  The 
dear  one  who  has  gone  never  allowed  the  mention  of  such 
a  thing  on  your  part,  and  I  must  protest  in  his  name.  But 
let  me  read  the  will." 

The  document  was  properly  drawn  up  in  legal  fashion 
and  witnessed,  dating  back  some  months.  In  it  a  sufficient 
sum  of  money  was  left  in  Mr.  Hastings'  hands  for  invest- 
ment so  as  to  produce  five  hundred  dollars  a  year.  Of  this 
income  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  was  to  be  paid  to 
Hiram  and  his  wife,  and  continue  to  the  survivor  after  the 
death  of  either,  and  the  remaining  three  hundred  and  fifty 
per  annum  to  be  paid  to  Ivan  Petrovich,  his  wife,  and  child. 
The  bulk  of  the  estate,  about  ten  thousand  dollars,  was  left 
to  the  son,  asking  him  not  to  forget  some  poor  people  that 
for  many  years  had  been  helped  in  their  life-struggles  by 
the  bounty  of  the  aged  cave-dweller. 

As  the  son  explained,  all  over  necessary  outlay  had  gone 
in  this  way  since  he  remembered.  "  My  father  was  quite 
wealthy  at  one  time,  but  constant  giving  has  reduced  his 
estate  to  what  is  here  mentioned.  He  has  travelled  hun- 
dreds of  miles  with  me  investigating  cases,  for  he  claimed 
that  to  give  carelessly  or  to  the  unworthy  was  a  crime,  or 
to  help  those  who  could  help  themselves." 

After  arranging  his  estate  and  requesting  that  Mr.  Hast- 
ings would  try  and  procure  some  suitable  position  for  Ivan, 
the  singular  testator  proceeded  to  give  directions  concern- 
ing the  disposal  of  his  body. 

He  directed  that  the  Cave  should  be  his  vault.  That  he  be 
placed,  just  as  he  died,  on  the  couch  on  which  he  had  slept 
so  many  long  years,  and  this  carried  into  the  great  chapel- 
room  of  the  subterranean  house  and  placed  where  the  water 
impregnated  by  the  lime  would  fall  from  the  lofty  roof 
continually  upon  the  body,  and  so  in  process  of  time  petri- 
faction take  place.  That  as  speedily  as  possible  everything 
of  value  be  removed  from  the  Cave  and  the  family  take  up 


586  THE   EUSSIAN   EEFUGEE. 

their  abode  in  some  suitable  dwelling  as  may  be  selected 
or  suggested  by  Mr.  Hastings.  That  then  all  the  known 
avenues  of  approach  to  the  Cave  proper  be  blocked  up  by 
means  provided  and  known  to  his  son.  "  Not  that  I 
would  deprive  the  world  of  aught  which  could  properly 
gratify  or  benefit  them  for  a  mere  selfish  caprice,  but  con- 
sider that  there  are  wonders  enough  on  the  fair  surface  of 
God's  earth  to  afford  abundant  opportunity  for  contem- 
plation and  study,  without  feeling  it  necessary  to  open  this 
small  vacuum  in  the  crust  of  the  planet  merely  to  gratify  a 
vulgar  curiosity.  Besides,  there  being  other  reasons  more 
weighty  bearing  upon  the  happiness  and  possibly  safety  of 
others  which  largely  govern  me  in  this  action." 

The  testament  concluded  thus  :  "  So,  dear  friends,  you 
wiU  grant  my  last  requests,  leaving  me  alone  with  God  in 
this  temple  reared  in  the  silence  and  solitude  of  the  long 
ages.  This  aged  tenement,  which  has  withstood  the  storms 
and  vicissitudes  of  almost  a  century  and  a  quarter,  being 
the  third  house  of  flesh  in  which  the  spirit-tenant  has 
sojourned  since  first  launched  upon  this  earthly  sphere  by 
the  fiat  of  Deity,  will  change  by  imperceptible  transi- 
tion to  the  unyielding  rock  of  which  the  frame-work  of  the 
earth  is  made.  Do  not  question  the  sanity  of  your  old 
friend,  for  no  cloud  through  his  long  career  has  ever  dark- 
ened bis  mental  horizon  in  the  sense  of  obscuring  intel- 
lectual operation,  but  read  calmly  and  judge  dispassion- 
ately what  I  thus  write  in  all  the  solemn  hush  which  falls 
upon  me  standing  here  in  the  vestibule  of  that  mysterious 
change  which  men  call  death.  Sad  misnomer,  wild  mis- 
conception, for  there  is  no  death  in  the  universe  of  God  ! 

"  This  hour  finds  me  upon  the  Pisgah  height  of  prophetic 
vision,  and  'tis  given  me  to  forecast  and  tell  of  things  to 
come.  I  see  light,  light  approaching,  and  lambent  flames 
playing  upon  countless  graves,  where  the  sorrowing  children 
of  Time  laid  away  their  fellows  with  despair,  and  chill  and 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  587 

darkness  in  their  hearts,  amid  tears,  and  groans,  and  anguish. 
But  emancipation  from  gloom,  and  doubt,  and  dread  is  fast 
approaching  and  heaven  is  coming  nearer  earth,  so  near 
that  soon  the  whispers  of  the  angelic  throng  shall  be  heard 
by  the  children  of  men.  Then  the  sons  of  earth  shall  see 
and  know  the  reality  of  that  other  and  larger  life  about 
which  they  now  speculate  so  sadly,  so  wrongly,  and  so  de- 
spairingly. 

"The  preposterous  thought  that  the  Eternal  Wisdom 
created  and  matured  this  marvellous  world  through  such 
countless  ages  of  changing  from  lower  to  higher  con- 
ditions merely  to  give  its  children  a  taste,  a  mere  glimpse 
of  its  treasures,  will  disappear.  The  monstrous  idea  that 
chance,  accident,  carelessness,  mistakes  could  be  allowed  to 
determine  whether  a  spirit  clothed  in  earthly  robes  was  to 
have  a  few  months,  or  fifty  or  a  hundred  years,  of  this  life, 
and  the  training  which  it  could  give,  must  pass  away  from 
the  human  mind  as  unworthy  of  the  Supreme  Wisdom.  It 
has  been  given  to  me  to  know,  in  my  own  personal  life-ex- 
perience, and  also  in  that  of  others,  that  men  live  and  re-live 
here,  sometimes  for  centuries,  according  to  their  needs, 
and  that  no  soul  finally  reaches  the  next  world  until  it  has 
received  all  the  education  and  development  which  human 
experience  can  give  under  every  necessary  variety  of  con- 
dition. 

"Shall  the  infinite  Power  which  called  together  forces 
from  afar  and  focussed  them  into  the  wonderful  me,  and 
projected  through  the  channel  of  birth  this  me  upon  the 
earth  for  training  and  education,  be  thwarted  by  the  fall 
of  a  dead  branch  from  the  tree-top,  or  the  sting  of  an 
insect,  or  the  advent  of  a  fever,  or  the  taking  of  a  poison, 
or  any  of  the  thousand  dangers  which  beset  human  physical 
existence  ?  The  idea  is  absurd  and  cannot  be  entertained 
for  a  moment.  Of  course,  the  body  could  have  been 
created  invulnerable  and  impervious  to  any  disease  or 


588  THE   RUSSIAN   EEFUGEE. 

outside  influence,  but  then  all  the  laws  of  matter  must  have 
been  abrogated,  and  the  invariability  of  nature  in  her 
operations  been  invalidated.  How  much  easier  to  return 
successively  the  being,  robbed  by  accident  or  malign  in- 
fluences of  his  birth-right,  by  reincarnation. 

"  I  do  not  claim  that  all  will  have  this  rebirth,  for  all  do 
not  need  it.  The  offspring  of  those  who  have  attained  this 
full  earth-development  will,  by  heredity,  possess  largely  the 
virtues  of  their  parents,  and  so  an  ordinary  life  here  may 
suffice.  So,  too,  as  the  race  moves  on  progressively,  shorter 
sojourn  in  this  lower  world  will  be  required  until  such 
perfection  may  be  attained  that  the  planet  will  have  ac- 
complished its  end,  supposing  that  it  was  created  for  the 
purpose  of  developing  and  educating  our  race  alone,  a 
multitude  of  souls  or  immortal  beings,  in  number  known 
only  to  the  arithmetic  of  God. 

"I  put  these  things  on  record  here,  because  in  these  latter 
days  they  are  so  clear  to  me,  standing  as  it  were  a  foot  on 
each  shore,  ready  to  depart  and  enter  on  the  next  stage  of 
being  when  the  Great  Father  calls.  I  will  now  mention 
what  opportunity  has  not  offered  to  speak  of  before,  and 
partly  because  of  the  repugnance  and  distrust  with  which 
people  receive  any  thoughts  or  statements  which  run  coun- 
ter to  previous  conceptions  or  prejudices. 

"  Some  years  ago,  while  travelling  in  Southern  Europe, 
accident  revealed  to  me  the  scene  of  my  earthly  career 
immediately  preceding  this  one.  The  scene  opened  up 
before  me  as  I  proceeded  in  my  investigations  and  was 
amply  corroborated  by  a  memory  of  details  which  was  at 
once  startling  and  delightful.  I  traced  my  life — the  former 
life— from  birth  until  I  stood  beside  the  tomb  in  which  the 
mortal  part  was  deposited  at  the  age  of  ninety  years.  A 
strange  story  you  say  !  Yes,  but  the  only  difference  be- 
tween my  experience  and  that  of  most  others  is,  that  they 
remember  confusedly,  and  I  clearlv. 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  589 

"  I  have  finished.  The  great  future  will  bring  out  these 
truths  as  men  are  able  to  receive  them  ;  to  that  future  I 
leave  them.  The  hand  which  traced  these  lines  is  cold  now 
and  soon  will  change  to  stone,  with  the  rest  of  my  form,  by 
nature's  wondrous  alchemy.  Let  no  mortal  intrude  upon 
ray  solitude  after  loving  hands  have  placed  me.  Repose, 
repose  in  the  everlasting  arms — the  arms  of  the  Mother 
Nature,  the  arms  of  the  Father  God !  But  activity,  a  glor- 
ious activity — life,  a  grand  life,  in  the  presence  of  in- 
finite being  and  infinite  love  !  Farewell." 

As  Adolph  ceased  reading,  his  head  dropped  between  his 
hands  and  he  leaned  forward  on  the  table,  the  hot  tears,  not 
to  be  repressed,  falling  upon  it.  Elsie  and  her  father  were 
deeply  affected  also,  and  for  a  moment  absolute  silence 
prevailed. 

At  length  the  Russian  looked  up.  "Father  would 
grieve  if  he  saw  me  mourning  thus,  and  it  may  be  weakness 
on  my  part  to  grieve  for  one  who  had  almost  doubled  com- 
mon life.  But  he  was  not  old  to  me  in  any  sense,  and  was 
truly  as  another  self.  I  spent  the  entire  night  reading 
this  manuscript  and  thinking  of  past,  present,  and  future, 
and  felt  that  I  must  see  you  at  once  and  read  it  to  you,  so 
that  matters  could  be  attended  to  without  delay." 

It  was  decided  that  Sophie  should  be  brought  at  once 
to  the  Hermitage,  and  that  Ivan  and  his  wife  should  move 
the  contents  of  the  Cave  to  the  cottage  at  the  gate  which 
had  been  originally  built  by  Mr.  Whitely  as  a  porter's 
lodge,  but  kept  as  a  tool-house  by  the  present  proprietor. 
"  I  will  have  it  cleared  out  and  put  in  repair  this  very  day. 
I  decided  some  time  ago  to  put  a  man  in  that  house  who 
could  work  on  the  place,  while  his  wife  attended  the  gate, 
as  soon  as  I  could  find  a  suitable  person.  Ivan  shall  have 
the  place." 


CHAPTEK  LH. 
"LIKE   A  PALE   MARTYR   IN   HIS   SHIRT   OF  FIRE." 

Two  weeks  later  Elsie  Hastings  sat  by  the  library  window 
sewing.  She  was  alone,  her  father  being  absent  in  New 
York.  She  was  thinking  of  the  events  of  the  past  few 
weeks  and  a  feeling  of  sadness  weighed  heavily  upon  her 
spirits.  She  could  not  keep  her  thoughts  from  reverting  to 
the  white-robed  figure  resting  in  that  silent  hall.  It  haunt- 
ed her  like  a  spectre.  "  And  yet,"  she  said  to  herself,  "  how 
appropriate  and  fitting  such  a  mausoleum  for  such  a 
man  ! "  That  superb  room  with  the  beautiful  pendants 
and  exquisite  creations  in  white — so  stainless  and  pure, 
emblematic  of  the  life  that  lived  so  long  and  went  out  there 
into  the  profundity  of  the  unknown — came  up  before  her, 
and  occupied  her  thoughts  to  the  exclusion  of  everything 
else. 

Sophie  had  retired  to  rest  some  time  before  ;  and  really 
the  little  maiden  was  a  great  comfort  to  her,  with  her  art- 
less ways  and  pretty  speech,  for  her  command  of  the 
English  was  remarkable  under  the  circumstances. 

Elsie  thought  of  this  family  and  how  she  had  been  led  to 
know  them,  and  how  large  a  place  they  had,  one  and  all, 
come  to  occupy  in  her  life.  And  gradually  her  reverie 
deepened  and  her  thoughts  became  more  complex.  She 
did  not  hear  the  girl  enter  the  room,  so  absorbed  was  she 
in  her  thoughts,  which  had  gradually  left  the  dead  and 
fixed  themselves  upon  the  living. 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  591 

"  Mr.  Adolph,  miss,"  repeated  Sarah  for  the  third  time, 
and  then  she  started  like  a  guilty  thing  detected,  for  the 
subject  of  her  thoughts  stood  before  her. 

"  Please  forgive  me.  I  suppose  I  was  in  what  father  calls 
one  of  my  brown  studies,"  she  exclaimed,  with  burning, 
telltale  cheeks,  as  she  took  his  hand. 

Several  times  had  the  gentleman  been  at  the  Hermitage 
during  these  past  days,  and  Elsie  felt  that  he  had  some 
communication  to  make  from  which  he  shrank.  Perhaps 
she  surmised  the  nature  of  it,  but  no  hint  from  him  helped 
her  to  verify  her  suspicion,  if  such  she  held.  He  had 
spoken  vaguely  of  his  future  actions  to  her  father,  but  as 
if  his  future  was  a  matter  of  very  small  moment  indeed  to 
anyone,  even  to  himself. 

Now,  however,  she  felt  that  a  sort  of  crisis  had  arrived, 
and  was  not  surprised  to  hear  him  say,  almost  abruptly, 
after  the  usual  kind  greeting  which  was  natural  to  him  : 
"  I  have  made  up  my  mind  at  last,  and  to-night  will  fulfil 
the  promise  referred  to  by  my  father  on  his  death-bed. 
But  first  promise  me  that  you  will  not  allow  your  sympathy 
or  attachment  to  my  father,  or  kindness,  or  memory  of 
slight  services  rendered,  to  influence  you  in  any  way  what- 
ever, but  that  you  will  refuse  to  grant  a  request  that  is 
going  to  be  made  to  you  ;  will  you  promise  me  this  ?  " 

"How  can  I  promise  when  I  don't  know  what  the  request 
is,  or  whether  it  would  be  right  or  wise  to  refuse  to  grant 
it  ?  "  she  asked,  as  if  perplexed. 

"  But  if  I  assure  you  that  it  will  be  best  for  you  in  every 
way  to  refuse  the  request,  will  you  promise  me  ?  " 

"Well,  in  that  case  I  suppose  I  must  say  that  it  depends 
upon  who  makes  the  request." 

"  No,  I  assure  you  that  the  person  making  it  does  it 
under  compulsion  and  will  be  grateful  to  you  if  you  refuse 
it.  Pray,  promise  me." 

"  If  that  is   the   case    then   I  promise,"   she  answered 


592  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

dubiously,  and  yet  unwilling  to  seem  obstinate  and  un- 
reasonable. 

A  look  of  triumph  blended  with  pain  shot  over  his  face, 
and  he  took  a  seat  beside  her,  for  before  he  had  been 
standing. 

"  My  dear  friend,  father,  as  you  well  know,  loved  you  as  a 
daughter,  and  I  was  his  son,  at  least  by  adoption,  and  it  was 
the  dearest  wish  of  his  life  that" — he  paused  as  if  puzzled  as 
to  the  words  to  use — "  that  somehow  you  might  become  one 
of  his  family.  Do  not  blame  me  for  my  folly,  for  I  am  obliged 
to  speak  thus.  You  and  I  have  been  brought  into  some  try- 
ing experiences  together,  and — well,  he  knew  my  heart ;  I 
could  keep  no  thought  from  him,  and  he  came  to  think — you 
know  he  was  very  old,  and  perhaps  could  not  see  in  these  mat- 
ters as  clearly  as  he  could  in  others — that  you  regarded  me 
more  kindly  than  he  was  justified  in  doing.  I  argued  with 
him.  I  represented  to  him  that  I  was  a  country-bred  man, 
uneducated,  with  no  social  polish,  whose  life  had  been  spent 
in  seclusion  amid  simple  people — good  and  true  souls  as  were 
ever  clothed  in  flesh,  but  uncultured,  with  one  exception — 
himself.  That  I  had  no  profession  or  social  standing,  and 
was  also  poor.  That  you  were  attractive,  educated,  accom- 
plished, cultured,  refined — a  member  of  a  proud  family,  and 
an  heiress.  What  possible  affinity  could  there  be  between 
us  ?  The  sun  shines  on  many  streams,  but  the  stream  sees 
but  one  glorious  orb  in  the  heavens.  Supposing  that  I  did 
worship  at  the  shrine,  I  was  only  one  of  many,  and  the 
goddess  of  the  shrine  smiles  for  all  who  worship  ;  good- 
ness could  do  no  less." 

Here  his  mood  seemed  to  change,  and  the  tremendous 
self-control,  which  she  felt  he  was  exercising,  to  give  way. 
He  seized  her  hand  convulsively,  and  his  eyes  glowed  in  the 
twilight. 

"  Elsie,  you  have  been  the  morning  star  of  my  life,  the  in- 
spiration of  my  being  ;  you  have  made  something  of  a  man 


THE  KUSSIAN   EEFUGEE.  593 

out  of  a  mere  clod,  and  taught  me  the  meaning  of  life.  But 
is  that  any  reason  why  I  should  ask  you  to  link  your  fate, 
bright  and  promising,  with  a  nameless  nobody,  a  foreigner, 
that  your  friends  would  despise,  yet  I  love  you  devotedly, 
and  ask  you  to  be  my  wife,  for  I  promised  my  father  that  I 
would  do  this.  I  await  your  answer.  Remember  your 
promise." 

He  had  risen  in  his  overpowering  emotion,  and  now 
again  dropped  into  his  seat.  "  Can  you  marvel  that  my 
soul  gravitates  toward  you  as  the  needle  to  the  magnetic 
stone,  that  I  love  you  with  all  the  intensity  of  my  being? 
Do  I  not  owe  to  you  so  much  that  has  made  that  being 
worth  having?  Did  you  not  leave  home  and  father  to 
venture  among  savages  and  bring  me  to  a  dying  parent's 
bedside  ?  I  cannot  allow  you  to  belittle  what  you  have  done. 
But  for  you  I  should  be  still  in  captivity  among  those 
bloodthirsty  Apaches,  and  my  father  would  have  passed 
away  unattended  by  his  son.  I  had  been  two  months  a 
wretched  captive  when  Hiram  found  me.  I  had  made 
superhuman  efforts  to  escape,  and  each  time  failing,  had 
as  punishment  to  '  run  thre  gauntlet,'  and  was  promised  death 
by  fire  on  the  first  favoi-able  opportunity.  No  !  If  I  loved 
you  not  I  should  be  a  monster.  Yet  no  word  of  this  should 
have  escaped  my  lips  had  not  my  father  laid  this  injunction 
on  me  and  bound  me  by  a  promise.  I  am  not  selfish 
enough,  not  so  lost  to  all  sense  of  true  manhood  as  to  take 
advantage  of  the  feeling  of  gratitude,  or  sympathy,  or  pity, 
or  other  prompting  of  kindness  in  your  nature,  for  what 
the  dear  one  passed  away  had  been  able  to  do  for  you,  or, 
casually,  myself.  It  would  cost  you  too  much,  and  I  de- 
mand no  such  sacrifice,  even  if  your  father  sanctioned  it, 
which  is  not  possible.  No,  I  go  back  to  New  Mexico,  car- 
rying my  great  love  in  my  heart  as  a  star  in  the  night  shin- 
ing from  a  moonless  sky.  I  shall  become  a  frontiersman, 
hunter,  naturalist,  and  so  may  lead  a  useful  if  not  a  happy 
38 


594  THE   BUSSIAJtf  REFUGEE. 

life.  Fear  not  to  hurt  my  feelings,  but  remember  your 
promise,  and  speak  frankly." 

He  stood  again  before  her,  with  folded  arms,  calm,  re- 
signed, all  trace  of  outward  passion  gone,  save  as  the 
flashing  eyes  told  of  the  tempest  within. 

Elsie  was  not  by  any  means  unmoved  during  this  impas- 
sioned appeal  She  realized  the  generosity  and  magnan- 
imity which  prompted  the  strange  action  of  this  declared 
lover,  in  previously  exacting  a  promise  of  denial  of  his  suit, 
when  all  the  memories  and  associations  of  the  past,  and 
every  look  and  tone,  even  the  very  promise  asked  and  given 
— given  without  suspicion  of  its  meaning — pleaded  power- 
fully on  his  behalf.  Candor,  honor,  truth  were  written 
on  his  brow  ;  dignity,  manliness,  courage,  filial  affection 
characterized  his  life ;  and  then  the  memory  of  benefits  con- 
ferred by  him  and  his,  and  of  perils  and  trials  encountered 
together — all  this  spoke  with  ten  thousand  tongues  and  as- 
sailed the  heart's  fortress  with  a  power  that  compelled  ca- 
pitulation. 

Her  rapidly  changing  color,  the  tears  trembling  upon 
the  lashes,  the  half  attempts  to  speak  in  the  pauses  of  his 
impetuous  utterances,  would  have  indicated  promptly  to 
any  suitor  not  preoccupied  with  a  mighty  resolve  to  stifle 
the  very  passion  which  inspired  his  whole  being,  filled  his 
heart,  and  gave  eloquence  to  his  words — the  true  state  of 
her  feelings  toward  him.  That  she  reciprocated  his  affec- 
tion ardently,  truly — revealed  itself  in  every  lineament  of  her 
expressive  face,  changing  responsive  to  the  emotion  within, 
like  a  mountain  lake  ruffled  by  the  play  of  unseen  currents 
in  the  depths  below. 

"  Elsie,"  he  said,  taking  her  hand,  for  as  yet  she  could  not 
find  words,  nor  trust  her  tongue  to  answer  him — "  I  may 
call  you  BO  for  once,  the  first  and  last  time— I  await  your 
answer,  which  sends  me  forth  into  the  world  a  homeless 
wanderer,  after  a  brief  dream  of  joy  that  filled  and  absorbed 


THE   RUSSIAN  REFUGEE.  595 

my  life.  But  fear  not  to  speak  that  word  ;  I  can  bear  it. 
If  I  have  been  weak  before,  I  am  strong  now.  It  is  your 
duty  to  your  father,  your  friends,  and  yourself  to  speak  it, 
and  I  entreat  that  you  allow  no  minor  considerations  to 
influence  you  in  speaking.  If  I  suffer,  it  is  just ;  I  have  been 
presumptuous — mad.  Oh,  God,  I  tried  to  struggle  against 
this,"  and  he  strode  up  and  down  the  room,  the  whirlwind 
of  his  passion  again  for  a  moment  sweeping  over  him. 
"To  escape,  I  left  my  home  and  my  aged  parent  and  fled 
to  that  wild  region,  only  to  find  that  the  mind  cannot  fly 
from  itself.  But  I  am  mad.  Why  should  I  torture  your 
kind  heart  thus  ?  "  for,  overcome  by  emotion,  she  was  weep- 
ing. "  Speak,  Elsie — Miss  Hastings — and  I  will  depart" 

She  must  speak  now,  and  though  her  voice  trembled 
somewhat,  and  a  mist  veiled  the  brightness -of  her  eyes,  she 
said  reproachf  ully,  "  Was  it  kind  to  bind  me  by  a  promise, 
and  then  tempt  me  to  break  it  ?  Am  I  so  selfish  as  to  allow 
all  the  generosity  and  self-sacrifice  to  be  on  one  side? 
Still  you  leave  me  no  alternative  but  to  say — Be  it  so.  I 
keep  my  promise." 

At  her  opening  words  his  face  lighted  up  for  an  instant, 
then  paled  into  deeper  gloom,  and  his  iron  self-control 
seemed  to  take  a  new  grip  ;  as  sometimes  when  the  night 
begins  to  lower,  and  the  shroud  of  darkness  settle  over  all, 
a  sudden  gleam  from  the  horizon  restores  the  vanished  half 
light,  making  the  blackness  visible  for  a  fleeting  moment, 
passing  almost  ere  perceived  into  profounder  obscurity. 

"  You  reject  me,  then  ?  "  he  asked  eagerly,  yet  hoarsely, 
in  a  voice  which  seemed  to  sound  the  depths  of  suffering — 
such  accents  as  might  come  from  racked  victim  when  the 
torture  had  become  almost  unendurable,  and  he  longs  for 
any  change,  even  death  itself,  to  end  speedily  his  misery. 

She  bowed  her  head,  not  trusting  herself  to  speak. 

He  grasped  her  hand  with  one  that  burned  with  the 
fever  of  emotion  leaping  through  his  veins,  turned,  reached 


596  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

the  door,  looked  back,  saying,  "  Farewell  forever !  It  is 
better  so.  Thank  you  for  this,  and  forgive  and  forget  my 
weakness.  May  the  glorified  spirit  of  ray  dear  father  be 
with  you  to  shield  and  bless  you  always." 

An  instant  more  and  the  darkness  of  the  night  received 
and  hid  him  from  sight. 

Elsie  sat  where  he  had  left  her,  her  head  bowed  on  her 
hands,  for  some  moments ;  then  she  started  up,  a  sudden 
resolution  seeming  to  take  possession  of  her.  Hurriedly 
she  sought  her  writing-desk  and  with  hands  that  trembled 
wrote  hastily.  She  rang  the  bell  "  Tell  James  to  take 
this  at  once  to  the  cottage  at  the  gate,  to  give  it  into  Mr. 
Adolph's  hands,  and  wait  for  an  answer." 

When  the  Kussian  received  the  note  he  was  busily  en- 
gaged in  making  the  concluding  preparations  for  his  jour- 
ney early  the  next  morning.  He  answered  almost  impa- 
tiently, when  summoned  below  by  Nadia,  for  his  whole 
system  was  unnerved,  and  he  longed  for  daylight  and  the 
beginning  journey  to  distract  his  thoughts  and  restore  in 
some  degree  his  equanimity.  On  glancing  at  the  writing 
he  trembled  so  that  he  was  forced  to  seat  himself  in  order 
to  conceal  his  agitation.  He  then  read  as  follows : 

MY  DEAR  FRIEND  :  You  exacted  a  promise  from  me,  which.  I 
faithfully  kept.  I  now  ask  one  of  you  in  return.  It  is  this— that  you 
defer  your  journey  until  I  send  you  a  package  to  be  delivered  to  my 
Indian  friends,  Sangar  and  Maunita.  Promise  me  this  in  writing, 
and  greatly  oblige, 

ELSIE  HASTINGS. 

"  I  thought  surely  the  bitterness  of  death  was  past ;  it  is 
cruel  to  continue  the  process,"  he  murmured  to  himself. 
Then  with  a  sigh  of  infinite  pain  and  weariness  he  tore  the 
half  sheet  off  the  note  just  received  and  wrote  in  pencil : 

DEAR  Miss  HASTINGS  :  It  must  be  as  you  request.  I  purposed 
starting  at  four  o'clock,  but  promise  to  await  your  package. 

ADOLPII  K. 


CHAPTER  Lin. 
HEART    LANGUAGE. 

'•WHAT  time  did  father  say  he  would  be  here?"  Elsie 
asked  on  receiving  Adolph's  answer. 

"  About  one  o'clock  in  the  morning,  miss,"  replied  the 
girl ;  "  but  he  said  particularly  that  you  was  not  to  sit  up 
for  him." 

"  Yes,  I  know,  but  you  need  not  stay  up  for  him.  I  will 
let  him  in,  Jane." 

"  She  returned  to  the  library,  and  now  noticed,  as  she 
took  up  a  book  to  try  and  read,  a  small  cabinet  of  curious 
workmanship  lying  upon  the  centre  table.  She  began  in- 
specting it  and  was  struck  with  the  beauty  of  the  carving. 
Then  she  saw  an  envelope  addressed  to  herself,  and  a  key 
lying  upon  it,  resting  on  the  table  by  the  cabinet.  The 
envelope  bore  the  inscription  in  the  quaint,  clean  hand- 
writing she  remembered  so  well:  "To  my  very  dear 
daughter,  Elsie  Hastings.  From  her  old  friend,  Nicholas 
Kuprianoff. 

"Dear  child,  I  have  not  forgotten  you,  though  I  am  here 
and  you  there.  No  flimsy  wall  of  partition  can  hinder  soul 
from  soul." 

Some  hot  tears  fell  on  the  paper  as  she  read  and  re-read 
before  opening  the  cabinet.  It  was  of  richly  carved  oak, 
having  on  the  lid  a  red  circle  of  ivory  and  a  small  steel  dag- 
ger piercing  the  centre.  The  box  contained  a  number  of 
jewels  of  antique  and  chaste  design — a  necklace,  bracelets, 
rings,  and  brooches,  besides  several  other  ornaments  of  a 


598  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

pattern  she  had  not  seen  before.  The  whole  formed  a 
unique  collection,  intrinsically  valuable,  as  well  as  in  a 
larger  degree  from  association. 

A  card  at  the  bottom  of  the  case  had  traced  on  it  in  red 
ink :  "  These  heirlooms,  coming  to  me  through  two  centu- 
ries, were  intended  for  my  daughter,  had  Adolph  married 
before  I  left  earth  ;  but  failing  that,  are  for  my  dear  adopted 
child — my  daughter  Elsie  Hastings." 

Adolph  had  spoken  of  this  cabinet  casually — a  mere  hint 
of  a  keepsake  left  by  the  Patriarch  for  Elsie,  and  had  pur- 
posely refrained  from  bringing  it  over  before,  but  now  had 
placed  it  upon  the  table  and  forgotten  to  mention  the  fact, 
so  completely  had  the  painful  emotions  of  the  hour  domin- 
ated all  his  faculties. 

"Elsie,  my  dear,  what  is  the  meaning  of  this?  You 
should  not  be  sitting  up  at  this  time."  But  something  in  his 
daughter's  face  checked  him,  and  he  followed  her  quietly  to 
the  library. 

After  bringing  his  slippers  and  dressing-gown — he  watch- 
ing her,  wonderingly,  in  her  unusual  reticence,  realizing 
that  something  had  gone  wrong — she  threw  her  arms 
about  his  neck  and  cried  bitterly.  He  did  not  seek  to  stay 
her  tears  for  a  few  moments,  knowing  well  that  this  out- 
burst would  relieve  her  pent-up  feelings,  but  sat  fondly 
and  soothingly  stroking  her  long,  glossy  black  hair,  which 
hung  loose  and  dishevelled  on  her  shoulders. 

Finally  he  said,  quietly,  "Elsie,  my  dear,  tell  me  all." 

Then  with  an  effort  she  calmed  herself  and  told  him 
gradually  the  events  of  the  evening. 

Mr.  Hastings  listened  without  interruption  to  the  narra- 
tive, and  remained  silent  for  some  moments  after  she 
ceased  ;  so  long,  indeed,  that  his  daughter  half-feared  he 
might  be  angry.  He  was  not  exactly  what  would  be  called 
a  proud  man,  that  she  well  knew,  always  placing  worth  and 
genuine  manhood  before  birth  or  wealth  or  name ;  but 


THE  RUSSIAN   KEFUGEE.  599 

yet  she  knew  there  was  that  in  his  nature  which  shrank 
painfully  from  the,  so  to  speak,  Bohemian  element  of  life. 
He  had,  she  was  painfully  conscious  at  this  moment,  a  sort 
of  feeling  or  prejudice — if  such  a  sentiment  can  be  enter- 
tained by  a  just  man — a  sort  of  republican  contempt  for 
foreigners,  aside  from  the  British,  whom  he  did  not  regard 
in  that  light.  At  length  he  looked  up,  and  his  manner  was 
grave  though  the  voice  was  kind. 

"  Elsie,  I  half-dreaded  something  of  this  sort.  I  greatly 
esteem  this  young  man,  and  we  are  deeply  indebted  to  him 
and  his  adopted  father  in  many  ways,  and  I  should  have 
rejoiced,  if  opportunity  had  offered,  to  manifest  my  grati- 
tude in  some  other  way  than  this.  But,  my  dear  child,  as 
I  have  often  told  you,  your  happiness  is  my  only  concern. 
Your  dear  mother  left  you  as  a  precious  legacy  to  me,  and 
my  only  anxiety  is  to  prove  worthy  of  the  trust.  In  the 
light  of  recent  events  it  seems  useless  to  put  the  question, 
for  I  anticipate  your  answer,  but  I  will  ask  it :  Do  you,  my 
daughter,  really  love  this  man  ?  Do  you  feel  that  his  pres- 
ence in  your  life  is  truly  necessary  to  your  happiness  ?  " 

There  was  no  mistaking  either  the  tone  or  the  words  as 
they  reached  his  ear  in  the  silence  of  that  room,  the  ticking 
of  the  clock  on  the  mantel  alone  being  audible,  its  hands 
pointing  to  the  matutinal  hour  of  two. 

' '  I  do,  father,  with  my  whole  soul.  He  is  the  noblest 
man  I  have  ever  met." 

"In  that  case,  my  dear,  you  may  retire  to  rest,  and  sleep 
soundly,  and  I  will  see  this  Spartan  of  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury in  the  morning ;  especially,"  he  said,  regarding  the 
blushing  girl  with  a  mischievous  twinkle  in  his  eye,  "  since 
your  Talleyrand  diplomacy  has  tethered  him  so  nicely." 

Elsie  flung  her  arms  round  her  father's  neck,  kissing  him 
fondly  on  both  cheeks.  "  Thank  you,  my  own  dear  father," 
she  said  fervently,  and  left  the  room. 


CHAPTER  LIV. 
DAYLIGHT   COMES  AND   THE   SHADOWS   FLY. 

THE  next  morning,  at  six  o'clock,  Mr.  Hastings  was  stand- 
ing at  the  avenue  gate,  glancing  up  the  road  leading  to 
Melville. 

"  Did  he  say  positively  he  would  be  back  at  six  ?  "  he  asked 
of  Nadia,  who  was  watering  some  flowers  in  front  of  the 
cottage,  which  her  taste  and  skill  had  made  look  very  pretty 
and  attractive. 

"  Yes,  sir,"  she  said.  "  He  say  he  go  station  to  find  out 
for  his  journey." 

"  Ah,  yes,  I  think  I  see  him  now,  and  will  go  and  meet 
him." 

Adolph  glanced  up  shyly  as  the  proprietor  of  the  Hermit- 
age approached,  and  for  a  moment  paused  in  painful  inde- 
cision. 

"Good-morning,  Mr.  Adolph,"  he  said,  cheerfully,  at  the 
same  time  offering  his  hand.  "  You  take  early  walks,  I  see." 

The  other  looked  at  him  furtively  and  inquiringly  ;  but 
the  frank  smile  he  met  in  return  removed  any  unpleasant 
suspicions  he  might  have,  and  he  answered,  with  something 
of  his  old-time  frankness  :  "  Yes,  sir,  it  seems  to  me  that  in 
the  early  morning  the  true  spirit  of  nature  is  abroad.  I 
get  my  best  thoughts  at  these  times." 

"I  fear  very  few  take  much  time  to  think,  early  or  late, 
in  this  busy,  rushing  age  of  ours.  But  I  want  to  have  a 
talk  with  you,  so  suppose  we  walk  up  the  road  a  piece." 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  601 

The  other  looked  somewhat  uneasy,  but  readily  as- 
sented. 

"  I  hear  that  you  propose  to  leave  us,  and  wish  to  remon- 
strate with  you.  Surely  you  can  do  as  well  here  as  you  can 
in  that  wild  country  of  New  Mexico.  Of  course  there  is 
much  to  attract  a  young  man  in  that  strange  frontier  life. 
Plenty  of  danger  and  adventure,  and  were  I  a  few  years 
younger  would  feel  like  joining  you  ;  but  there  is  another 
side  to  the  question.  It  is  a  rough  country  and  people,  and 
for  a  while  rough  men  will  do  to  break  in  both  the  one  and 
the  other.  Now,  I  believe  that  the  true  prosperity  of  the 
world  depends  largely  upon  each  individual  doing  the  work 
he  can  do  best,  and  is  best  adapted  to.  You  can  do  better 
work  than  that ;  so  why  throw  yourself  away  ?  You  are 
still  in  the  prime  of  your  manhood  and  strength,  are  intel- 
ligent and  capable,  possessing  qualities  which  may  make 
you  influential  among  your  fellows.  Had  you  not  best 
reconsider  your  resolution  ?  " 

The  other  had  listened  patiently,  and  the  flashing 
changes  of  his  expressive  features  from  time  to  time, 
showed  the  effect  of  the  words  on  him.  He  looked  down 
as  Mr.  Hastings  ceased  speaking,  and  seemed  to  be  study- 
ing the  formation  of  a  bowlder  lying  near. 

Then  he  raised  his  eyes.  "  Thank  you  sincerely,  my  dear 
Mi\  Hastings,  but  I  have  looked  it  all  over,  and  feel  that  it 
is  best  for  me  to  go  away  to  a  new  country,  and  begin  an 
entirely  new  life.  My  life  is  broken  here.  Besides,  what 
should  I  turn  to  ?  I  have  but  little  education,  and  so  a 
rough,  out-of-door  life  is  best  suited  to  me  and  I  to  it." 

"  Well,  well,  I  agree  with  you  that  a  life  out  of  doors  will 
suit  you  best — at  least  an  occupation  which  involves  that, 
and  so  I  was  going  to  make  you  an  offer." 

"  Please  don't,  dear  sir  ;  my  mind  is  made  up.  I  really 
cannot  stay  here,  but  I  am  profoundly  grateful  to  you,  be- 
lieve me,  I  am." 


602  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

"  Yes,  I  know,  but  I  must  tell  you  anyway.  I  am  be- 
coming somewhat  old  and  need  assistance  in  managing  my 
farm  here.  Now,  I  must  either  employ  a  superintendent 
or  sell  part  of  the  estate,  for  I  cannot  attend  to  it.  So  I 
offer  you  the  position  of  overseer  at  a  liberal  salary.  You 
are  honest,  intelligent,  and  skilful,  and  will  just  suit  me. 
What  do  you  say  ?  Take  a  few  days  to  think  of  it  if  you 
like." 

The  Eussian  impulsively  grasped  his  hand.  "  You  are 
a  good  man,  Mr.  Hastings — the  best  after  my  father  I  ever 
met — but  I  dare  not  stay  here  ;  it  is  best  to  go  ;  "  and  his 
voice  vibrated  with  the  misery  within  him.  "  Your  whole 
estate  could  not  tempt  me  to  stay.  What  is  money,  posi- 
tion, anything,  to  peace  of  mind,  and  that  I  could  not  have 
here  ?  " 

Mr.  Hastings  regarded  him  keenly  while  he  uttered  these 
emotion-choked  words,  and  then,  as  if  satisfied  with  the 
scrutiny,  said  with  a  warmth  in  marked  contrast  with  his 
previous  deliberate  utterance,  "  Give  me  your  hand,  Mr. 
Adolph.  I  honor  you,  upon  my  word  I  do.  You  have 
manifested  a  delicacy  and  self-denial  which  is  exceedingly 
rare.  Elsie  has  told  me  all." 

His  hearer  started  convulsively,  coloring  painfully. 

"You  love  my  daughter,  and  that  is  the  reason  you  are 
leaving  ;  because  you  believed  such  a  match  would  be  ut- 
terly distasteful  to  me.  Perhaps  I  had  other  and  different 
views  for  her,  but  that  is  neither  here  nor  there.  I  believe 
she  is  attached  to  you.  You  have  been  brought  into  curi- 
ous relationship  with  each  other  during  the  past  year,  and 
have  been  mutually  helpful.  Now,  I  am  not  a  hard  or  un- 
natural man,  and  the  happiness  of  my  child  is  my  first  con- 
sideration. So  you  see,  the  seemingly  impossible  may  be 
possible  after  all,"  and  the  speaker  smiled  almost  cheer- 
fully, for  the  thought  of  giving  his  loved  one  to  another 
was  a  painful  one  to  him  in  any  case. 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  603 

The  play  of  feeling  on  the  ingenuous  countenance  of  the 
hearer,  as  the  father  went  on  speaking,  was  wonderful 
The  rebound  from  the  depth  of  a  pitiless  and  hopeless  fate 
to  the  open  sunlight  of  happiness — the  exultation  which 
showed  in  every  feature,  and  could  not  be  repressed,  seem- 
ing to  fairly  transfigure  him, — this  glory  of  a  brief  season  of 
joy  which  gave  free  scope  for  hope  and  faith  and  affection 
to  soar  afar  into  the  rare  ether  of  bliss,  known  but  once 
perhaps  on  earth,  a  foretaste  of  the  heaven  which  is  to  be, 
this  tide  coming  in  with  that  one  word  of  Mr.  Hastings — 
"  possible,"  bore  him  aloft  upon  its  surging  billows.  But 
the  face  darkened  as  an  afterthought  came. 

"I  fear  you  have  not  fully  considered  the  nature  of  what 
your  generous  words  involve.  Remember,  I  am  by  birth  a 
peasant,  of  peasant  stock,  for  I  will  not  at  this  moment 
claim  Nicholas  Kuprianoff  as  my  parent,  being  in  your  eyes 
merely  an  adopted  child  of  his,  although  you  know  how  he 
regarded  the  matter,  a  belief  which  I  share.  But  I  am,  as  I 
said,  in  the  eyes  of  the  world,  of  peasant  blood,  uneducated; 
never  being  at  school  in  my  life.  I  know  nothing  of  polite 
society  or  its  usages.  A  peasant,  an  ignoramus,  a  child 
of  nature — reflect,  this  is  the  man  that  you  propose  to  make 
your  relative,  to  receive  into  your  family  and  introduce  to 
your  cultured  friends  ;  to  be  a  reproach  to  you  and  to  cause 
you  to  regret  in  the  future  the  weakness  of  a  moment  of  gen- 
erosity. I  cannot  permit  such  a  sacrifice.  If  I  loved  your 
daughter  less  I  might  weakly  yield  to  your  kindness,  if  it  be 
that  she  really  cares  for  me,  but  I  love  her  too  devotedly  to 
permit  her  to  give  up  social  position  and  the  advantages  of 
her  birth  for  my  sake.  My  secret  should  have  remained 
locked  in  my  own  bosom  and  been  carried  to  the  grave 
but  for  the  promise  made  to  my  dying  parent.  The  keep- 
ing of  that  promise  has  cost  me  more  than  tongue  can  tell, 
but  the  agony  of  death  is  over  now,  and  I  am  resigned  to 
the  inevitable.  It  was  not  a  right  thing  to  promise,  per- 


604  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

haps  not  right  in  that  noble  old  man  to  ask  it,  but  he  knew 
my  secret,  and  the  deep  love  he  bore  us  both  prompted 
him,  and  in  the  misty  moments  of  death's  twilight  it  may 
be,  he  saw  less  clearly  than  usual.  I  acknowledge  with 
shame  that  I  agreed  too  easily  to  his  proposal,  for  it  may  be 
that  if  I  had  protested  he  would  not  have  insisted ;  but  what 
could  I  do  at  such  a  moment?" 

Adolphhad  spoken  rapidly,  as  if  making  a  confession,  half 
to  himself  and  half  to  Mr.  Hastings,  hastening  as  if  in  fear 
lest  voice  or  resolution,  or  both,  should  fail  him  ;  and  also 
possibly  to  preclude  interruption,  which  was  attempted  on 
his  hearer's  part  once  or  twice.  He  went  on  :  "  In  the  light 
of  that  death-bed,  and  by  the  blessed  agency  of  sorrow,  I 
have  come  to  regard  life  on  higher  lines  than  before,  and 
to  realize  that  self-sacrifice  for  those  we  love  is  alone  worthy 
of  true  manhood,  as  it  is  a  duty,  and  should  be  a  pleasure. 
Let  us  forget  this  as  if  it  had  never  been,  Mr.  Hastings, 
and  remember  the  poor  Russian  as  one  who  had  accidentally 
•crossed  your  path,  and  for  a  brief  period  basked  in  the  sun- 
shine of  your  life  with  you.  I  cannot  see  my  future  life, 
but,  come  weal  or  woe,  never  shall  I  forget  the  generosity 
you  have  manifested  this  morning." 

'•"  It  might  be  so  settled,  my  friend,  if  only  you  and  I 
were  concerned  in  the  matter,"  replied  his  hearer,  with 
kindling  eyes  ;  "  but  you  forget  that  there  is  another  who 
has  something  to  say  on  the  subject.  Come  and  take  break- 
last  with  us.  No,  I  can't  excuse  you.  Remember  Elsie 
wants  to  give  you  a  package." 

And  so,  perforce  almost,  the  younger  man  yielded,  and  the 
two  bent  their  steps  toward  the  mansion. 

A  wrinkling  of  the  brow,  and  lips  tightly  set  as  if  to  nerve 
the  owner  to  bear  with  fortitude  further  trial,  were  the 
only  indications  the  host  saw  of  his  guest's  disquietude. 

Mi'.  Hastings  turned  the  conversation  into  other  chan- 
nels, drawing  attention  to  various  changes  which  he  pur- 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  605 

posed  making  in  the  grounds,  talking  so  pleasantly  that  it 
proved  infectious,  and  when  they  reached  the  mansion  the 
visitor  was  almost  cheerful.  Elsie  was  on  the  veranda,  hold- 
ing a  book  in  her  hand,  but  evidently  absorbed  in  thought. 

"  Come  here,  Elsie,  my  dear,"  called  out  her  father.  And 
as  she  came  down  the  steps  and  gave  her  hand  to  the  guest, 
with  some  slight  confusion  in  her  manner,  he  continued  : 
"  Would  you  believe  it,  but  I  have  been  trying  to  persuade 
our  friend  here  to  give  up  his  return  to  that  wild  Indian 
country  and  remain  with  us,  and  he  positively  refuses  ?  I 
have  offered  him  the  position  of  superintendent  of  the  es- 
tate, but  yet  he  declines.  So  I  have  brought  him  to  you, 
asking  that  you  will  try  and  persuade  him.  By  the  way, 
Mr.  Adolph,  you  have  not  seen  those  rare  camellias  sent  me 
from  New  York  ;  they  are  superb,  and  you,  as  a  botanist,  will 
appreciate  them.  Elsie  will  show  them  to  you.  Don't  be 
late  for  breakfast."  So  saying,  Mr.  Hastings  ran  lightly  up 
the  steps  and  into  the  house. 

Elsie  led  the  way  down  one  of  the  shady  paths,  followed 
by  Adolph,  who  seemed  as  if  dazed,  and  indeed  felt  as  if  in 
a  dream.  Not  a  word  was  spoken  until  the  flower-bed  was 
reached. 

After  a  few  words  of  formal,  forced  admiration  of  the 
flowers,  which  merited  the  "  superb  "  applied  to  them  by 
the  owner — but  there  are  periods  in  our  lives  when  heaven's 
richest  treasures  brought  before  the  vision  could  not  be 
seen  or  admired,  for  the  sight  is  turned  inward  and  we  are 
blind  to  all  external  things — Adolph  said,  "  I  received  your 
note,  Miss  Elsie,  and  shall  be  glad  to  take  the  package.  I 
start  at  eleven." 

Elsie  turned  red  and  white  alternately,  and  seemed  to  be 
trying  to  desperately  resolve.  She  was  more  than  com- 
monly courageous,  as  we  know,  but  she  knew  the  decisive 
moment  had  arrived,  and  she  needed  all  her  latent  strength 
to  meet  it. 


6C6  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

"  Perhaps  it  is  improper,  and  in  the  eyes  of  the  world 
unwomanly,  for  me  to  speak,  but  human  happiness  is  too 
valuable  to  be  thrown  away  for  mere  flimsy,  make-believe 
propriety."  Her  voice,  at  first  wavering,  gained  steadiness, 
as  she  went  on  with  increasing  courage  :  "  You  have  told 
me  that  you  love  me,  Mr.  Adolph,  and  through  a  mistaken 
sense  of  duty  are  determined  not  to  try  and  win  me  to  be 
your  wife.  So  you  force  me  to  speak,  as  in  my  opinion  it 
would  be  more  unwomanly  to  remain  silent.  You  won  me 
long  ago  by  your  innate  nobility  of  character,  which  mani- 
fested itself  in  spite  of  disadvantages  of  education  and  so- 
cial position.  You  say  you  love  me,  and,"  her  eyes  falling 
before  his,  "  your  affection  is  returned,  and  if  you  ask  me  I 
will  be  your  wife,  let  Madam  Grundy  say  what  she  will." 

"  What !  You  have  counted  the  cost  and  are  really  will- 
ing to  be  mine,  with  all  the  sacrifice  which  that  means  ?  " 
he  asked,  his  voice  trembling  with  emotion,  and  eyes  filled 
with  tears. 

"  Yes,  I  am,"  she  replied,  firmly. 

"  Then  I  should  be  more  than  human  if  I  longer  refused 
the  great  blessing  heaven  offers  me,"  he  exclaimed,  raptur- 
ously, folding  her  in  his  arms.  "  Elsie,  my  own  life  and 
love,  may  the  spirit  of  my  father  bless  us  this  hour,  as  I 
know  he  would  were  he  still  on  earth,  and  I  believe  can  in 
that  other  sphere." 

When  they  reached  the  house  the  owner  saw  that  mat- 
ters were  settled.  Adolph  led  Elsie  up  to  her  father. 

"  Mr.  Hastings,  I  may  be  weak,  I  may  even  be  wicked, 
but  I  must  throw  myself  on  your  generosity.  Elsie  has 
promised  to  be  my  wife,  and  I  will  accept  the  position  of 
overseer  you  offered  me  a  while  back." 

"All  right,"  replied  the  other  ;  "  and  as  the  salary  was 
not  mentioned,  but  was  to  be  liberal,  I  suppose  I  must  give 
you  Elsie  as  the  first  instalment."  Then  taking  a  hand  of 
each  he  said,  in  graver  vein  :  "  Perish  pride,  and  let  higher 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  607 

motives  rule.  To  modify  somewhat  the  words  of  the  old 
Grecian  sage,  '  I  would  rather  many  my  child  to  a  man 
without  a  college  education  and  social  position  than  to 
these  advantages  without  a  man.'  I  shall  not  be  the  loser 
in  this,  for  I  shall  retain  my  daughter  and  gain  a  son. 
May  Heaven  bless  you  both." 

The  evening  of  our  story-day  has  come,  and  the  shadows 
of  the  ending  begin  to  gather  on  the  landscape.  Little 
more  remains  to  be  told  in  these  few  moments  of  fast-fleet- 
ing light.  Mrs.  St.  Johns  appeared  at  the  wedding  with 
her  two  daughters,  like  a  planet  attended  by  satellites  of 
only  lesser  brilliancy.  Of  course  she  was  dreadfully 
shocked,  and  the  word  parvenu  escaped  her  lips  fre- 
quently. She  confided  to  a  few  chosen  friends  that  Elsie 
had  had  a  much  better  offer  ;  in .  fact,  an  opportunity  of 
marrying  into  a  very  respectable  city  family.  "But  she 
was  always  such  a  strange  girl"  Mr.  St.  Johns  agreed  to 
forgive  and  forget  the  mining  speculation,  on  condition  that 
he  be  consulted  in  all  similar  proposed  transactions  for  the 
future.  Perhaps  the  very  liberal  fee  received  from  the  owner 
of  the  Hermitage  for  services  in  the  trial  helped  to  mollify 
matters. 

Dr.  Seaman  and  his  wife  were,  of  course,  conspicuous  on 
the  eventful  day,  the  latter  proving  invaluable  in  aiding 
the  bride  in  all  matters  incidental  to  the  occasion. 

"Her  large  experience,"  the  doctor  remarked,  "gives 
Ellen  the  necessary  weight  and  dignity  to  offset  the  wild 
Indian  proclivities  of  the  Star  Performer." 

As  to  Seaman  himself,  practice  came  to  him  from  all 
sources,  and  he  speedily  took  front  rank  in  his  profession 
in  that  neighborhood. 

To  Elsie's  great  joy,  some  beautiful  mementos  and  the 
kindest  of  greetings  from  the  Yew  Villa  reached  the  Her- 
mitage on  the  wedding  morning,  bringing  pleasant  memo- 
ries of  the  warm  English  hearts  across  the  ocean. 


608  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

Sophie  became  a  sort  of  privileged  companion  for  Elsie, 
who  resolved  that  she  should  be  thoroughly  educated.  To 
be  near  or  with  her  friend  was  happiness  enough  for  the 
little  Kussian  maiden.  Hiram,  by  the  advice  and  assist- 
ance of  Mr.  Hastings,  purchased  some  acres  of  ground  near 
his  cottage,  and  added  the  profits  of  small  farming  to  the 
precarious  earnings  of  a  trapper.  As  for  Gretchen,  no  day 
was  long  enough  to  express  her  joy  at  the  turn  events  had 
taken  in  keeping  her  favorite  Adolph  at  home,  for  next  to 
Hans  he  was  in  her  eyes  the  very  salt  of  the  earth.  Mrs. 
Wagram,  after  Elsie's  marriage,  went  to  live  with  her  sister, 
and  finally  married  the  chief  of  police,  who  was  fascinated 
by  the  courage  displayed  by  the  vivacious  Frenchwoman 
in  the  Hermitage  business,  of  which  he  had  knowledge 
through  the  sister. 

Of  the  hapless  Harry  Esmond  nothing  was  known  for 
several  years,  when  accident  revealed,  through  the  medium 
of  an  old  newspaper,  that  he  had  been  shot  dead  by  the 
guard  in  making  a  desperate  effort  to  escape,  at  the  penal 
station  where  he  was  confined.  A  New  York  paper  with 
the  notice  of  the  marriage  of  his  cousin  was  found  marked 
in  his  cell,  and  Elsie  and  her  husband  drew  their  own  con- 
clusions as  to  the  attempt  to  escape  and  the  wedding  notice 
having  anything  to  do  with  each  other.  At  any  rate,  though 
Elsie  shed  some  sad  tears  at  the  pitiful  fate  of  her  girl- 
hood's playmate,  yet  she  felt  it  was  better  so  than  that  his 
escape  should  have  given  him  opportunity  for  future  crime, 
and  she  shuddered  to  think  of  what  that  crime  might  have 
been,  prompted  by  the  mad  passions  of  jealousy  and  re- 
venge. 

The  new  couple  decided  that  it  would  be  better  to  drop 
the  name  of  Kuprianoff,  Adolph  declaring  that  it  would 
please  him  better  to  let  it  rest  embalmed  with  the  sacred 
memory  of  the  grand  soul  he  reverenced  so  profoundly— a 
sentiment  his  wife  fully  shared.  So,  at  his  father-in-law's 


THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE.  609 

request,  he  took  the  name  of  Hastings,  Mr.  St.  Johns  ar- 
ranging that  the  act  received  such  legal  sanction  as  was 
necessary.  But  he  was  generally  known  as  Mr.  Adolph. 

He  developed  the  Hermitage  grounds  and  farm  until 
they  became  famous  in  that  section  of  country  ;  and  among 
scientists  he  came  to  take  high  rank  as  a  practical  geolo- 
gist and  botanist.  Ably  seconded  by  his  wife  in  all  works 
of  benevolence  and  philanthropy,  they  made  an  enviable 
reputation  in  the  neighborhood. 

Mr.  Hastings,  as  he  came  to  know  the  truly  noble  quali- 
ties of  his  son-in-law,  rejoiced  that  he  had  not  yielded  to 
the  temptation  which  at  one  time  so  sorely  tried  him,  to  re- 
fuse to  sanction  an  alliance  which  alarmed  his  pride.  When 
later  on  he  was  solicited  to  run  for  the  State  Legislature, 
and  declining,  on  account  of  his  age,  was  asked  to  suggest 
a  candidate,  he  promptly  named  Adolph.  The  Russian  at 
first  refused,  but  finally  yielded  as  a  matter  of  duty,  and 
was  elected,  serving  two  terms. 

During  this  service,  he  was  largely  relieved  of  the  more 
onerous  cares  of  the  Hermitage  estate  by  the  efficient  ser- 
vices of  our  old  friend  Mr.  Lippens,  who  finally  decided  to 
leave  the  detective  service  and  seek  his  fortune  in  the  New 
World. 

On  renewing  his  acquaintance  with  Adolph,  the  latter 
gladly  offered  to  give  him  the  position  of  acting  overseer  of 
the  estate,  which  was  promptly  accepted.  Lippens  amply 
justified  this  confidence  by  his  skill  and  efficiency.  He  was 
the  son  of  a  clergyman,  and  educated  at  Eton,  but  declining 
professional  life,  had  entered  detective  service  as  a  matter 
of  choice. 

Three  healthy  children  came  to  bless  the  Hermitage  home 
and  make  music  for  the  grandfather's  heart.  As  in  all  true 
marriages,  the  speeding  years  only  made  Adolph  and  Elsie 
nearer  and  dearer  to  each  other.  The  memory  of  the  past 
was  very  dear  to  them  in  spite  of  its  sorrows,  and  the  pres- 


610  THE   RUSSIAN   REFUGEE. 

ence  of  the  "  Patriarch  "  to  them  both  was  a  very  real  thing 
— not  a  mere  remembrance,  but  a  living  fact,  and  an  in- 
spiration in  all  they  undertook. 

Often  they  rode  or  walked  to  the  scene  of  so  many  hal- 
lowed associations,  and  conversed  of  the  once  home  beneath 
them — the  wonderful  Cave,  where  lay,  in  the  profound  and 
eloquent  silence  and  solitude  of  that  singular  tomb,  amid 
the  marvellous  creations  of  Nature's  subterranean  forces, 
the  revered  form  of  the  "RUSSIAN  REFUGEE." 


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